GOP senator wants Becerra to disclose number of HHS employees still remote.

Sen. Bill Cassidy Demands Accountability from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on Remote Work Practices

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is demanding accountability from Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on the pandemic-era remote work practices still lingering in his department.

“As Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), I am committed to ensuring that HHS lives up to its mission ‘to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans,'” wrote Cassidy in a letter to Becerra sent on Wednesday.

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When Becerra testified before the Senate Finance Committee in March, he could not account for the percentage of the approximately 90,000 HHS employees still working remotely.

As of September 2022, 78% of workers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, under the purview of HHS, worked remotely. Comparatively, estimates suggest that between 27% and 50% of the total United States workforce are remote at least part-time.

“The public health conditions that led to widespread, full-time remote work, therefore, are no longer present,” said Cassidy, citing the official end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration in May.

The letter stipulates that by July 26, Becerra must provide “a complete accounting of the telework practices” across the sub-agencies of HHS, including policies and procedures governing remote work as well as the exact number of in-person employees and the days worked on-site per week.

Cassidy also asked Becerra to provide information on whether HHS monitors the productivity of remote employees compared to in-person workers.

Opinion polls show that Americans in the private sector like working from home, with 87% of workers taking the opportunity to do so if offered it by an employer. A flexible working arrangement is now the third top motivator in finding a new job, only slightly below looking for greater pay and career advancement opportunities.

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At a time with leadership changes and significant internal restructuring in the wake of the pandemic, however, Cassidy said, greater accountability of the remote work practices at HHS is imperative.

“HHS cannot accomplish [its] mission from [employees’] living rooms, particularly if they work for organizations within HHS that are undergoing reorganizations and culture changes,” wrote Cassidy.

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