A new report from the Government Accountability Office indicates that most employees in 24 different federal agencies don't show up to their offices for work.
While the scope of remote work is uncertain, the real kicker is that government agencies maintain their empty federal buildings while using a minimal amount of space, costing taxpayers billions.
All 24 buildings included in the review are underutilized, the GAO uncovered. Most agency headquarters are under 25% capacity, or in other words, 75% empty. These office spaces include the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Several buildings remain under 10% capacity, or 90% empty. Offices in this quartile include the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Social Security Administration.
SEE ALSO: Meckler: FBI headquarters should be demolished
"Taxpayers are shelling out their hard-earned money to pay for largely empty federal government buildings in the DC swamp," Americans for Tax Reform noted.
The federal government owns 511 million square feet of office space. Federal agencies spend an estimated $7 billion annually to operate, maintain, and lease building spaces. Operation expenses include air conditioning, heating, maintenance, and security, yet a substantial amount of these expenses are unnecessary.
Once again, we're left with a strong case for stricter financial regulations on the government. Underused office space results in financial costs, environmental costs, and opportunity costs.
Ironically, the report asserts that emissions are still generated with underutilized space, yet the Environmental Protection Agency uses just 16% of its office space.
"While all agencies have resumed in-person operations, it is clear that the federal workplace has evolved as agencies have embraced hybrid and remote office environments," the GAO promotes. "As the country emerges from the pandemic, the federal government has a unique opportunity to reconsider how much and what type of office space it needs."
Imagine Washington shrinking its presence in both an administrative and physical manner. The government may voluntarily downsize its physical appearance around the nation's capital over time, but it's unlikely to reduce its authoritative power.
Whether government employees are hard at work or not, Americans look at these costly, wasteful situations with disgust. How can Washington bureaucrats be so untroubled by the level of empty office space? Put simply, they're not rushing to cut expenses because it's not affecting their own wallets.
SEE ALSO: A Letter to All Americans: Uniting for an Article V Convention and Our Nation's Future
Article V offers a powerful solution to bypass the Washington corruption, and the Convention of States movement is working hard to use this mechanism provided by the Founders.
When 34 states come together for an Article V convention, financial conditions will be forced onto the government – they surely will never do it themselves. To support the COS movement, sign the petition below.
