Tag: Social Security Administration

Agency Allows Tens of Thousands of Bureaucrats to Work Remotely for Years as Trump Return Looms

Daily Caller News Foundation
Remote Work

A Biden administration appointee agreed to a new contract with a government employee union that will allow tens of thousands of bureaucrats to work remotely for years ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, according to Bloomberg News.

Recently-departed Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Martin O’Malley signed off on a new deal last week with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) — which represents about 42,000 SSA employees — that will extend remote work availability into 2029, according to Bloomberg News. The incoming Trump administration and the newly-minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), are poised to target work-from-home policies for government employees as part of a broader push to rein in the federal government and eliminate bureaucratic bloat.

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Commentary: After Telework Surge, Federal Buildings Remain Largely Empty

RealClearWire
Empty Office

More than two years after the Biden administration called on all federal agencies to create plans to bring employees who teleworked during the COVID pandemic back to the office, the vast majority of Washington, D.C.’s federal buildings are still sprawling expanses of empty, echoing hallways and offices. 

In fact, 17 of 24 federal agencies use an estimated 25% or less of their headquarters’ office capacity, according to an updated survey by the General Accounting Office, a government agency that provides auditing and investigative services for Congress. 

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The Federal Government Spent $1 Trillion in First Two Months of FY 2024

Virginia Star Staff
Joe Biden

The federal government spent $1,058,839,000,000 in the first two months of fiscal year 2024 — October and November — according to the Monthly Treasury Statement.

At the same time, according to the MTS, it collected $678,264,000,000 in taxes — thus running a two-month deficit of approximately $380,576,000,000.

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Sen. Joni Ernst Releases List of Federal Agencies with High Employee No-Show Rates Post-COVID

Just the News
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

With Christmas fast-approaching, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa put out a “naughty list” of government agencies that have high no-show rates of employees who have not returned to the office after the COVID-19 pandemic ended.

According to Ernst’s list, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Social Security Administration top the list with just 7 percent office occupancy rates.

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Social Security Recipients to Get a 3.2 Percent Benefits Increase in 2024

Just the News

The Social Security Administration announced Thursday that benefits will increase 3.2% in 2024 for the country’s over 70 million recipients. 

This will result in the average monthly check for a retired worker to rise to $1,907. That’s up $59 from $1,827 this year, according to Forbes.

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Social Security Now Allowing People to Choose Their Own Gender

Virginia Star Staff

The Social Security Administration will allow people to self-select their sex on social security documents without providing legal or medical documents to verify their sex, according to a Wednesday announcement.

The agency will accept individuals’ self-identification regardless of whether it matches their other documents and will supply Social Security cards accordingly, the agency announced. The move comes amid a push from the Biden administration to facilitate gender transitions and help transgender people change their sex on government records more easily.

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