The Trump administration should boost its communication with federal employees and create clearer benchmarks for when agencies should call their workers back to their duty stations in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Democratic lawmakers and the government’s top watchdog said on Thursday.
The hearing—hosted by the Government Operations panel of the House Oversight and Reform Committee—highlighted a stark partisan division over how the federal government should operate in the coming weeks and months. Republicans repeatedly called on the federal government to “set an example” by bringing workers back to their offices, while Democrats, workforce advocates and the Government Accountability Office urged a more cautious, data-based approach.
The Trump administration has outlined guidance for federal agencies to bring back workers, issuing a memorandum in April that called on agencies to work in consultation with local leaders and public health officials to determine when to reopen offices. Agencies that have begun recalling employees to their offices have largely done so on a partial or regional basis, opening only some offices to certain groups of workers. Some headquarters offices in the capital region have begun bringing back certain employees, or allowed workers to come back on an optional basis.
Still, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., the subcommittee’s chairman, called the administration's reopening memo insufficient, noting it does not require personal protective equipment for all employees, plan for any widespread testing of federal workers or mention “what agencies should do in the event coronavirus cases spike again.”
Asked if the federal government had released a comprehensive, detailed plan for agency reopenings, Christopher Mihm, managing director for strategic issues at GAO, said, “We’ve n ..
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