The union said future decisions about telework policies must “based on facts, and not on fear or politics.” Officials have no plans to try and recoup the money, noting that no laws appear to have been violated by the doubled stipend payments. For specific skills gaps or hard-to-recruit positions, HUD can offer a higher salary to aid recruitment and retention. In one instance, funds were spent to investigate a sinkhole, according to a recent Defense Department Inspector General report. The hearing Thursday probed the Department of Interior over its lingering telework flexibilities despite recent return-to-office orders. Employees who telework or work fully remotely are expected to continue going so and generally do not receive weather and safety leave. Bowser’s administration is calling district employees back to offices after urging federal agencies to do the same. The agreement speeds up the roughly $20 billion in cuts already agreed to for the Internal Revenue Service and rescinds about $6 billion in COVID relief. And of those who could, 87% of federal employees participated in telework in FY22. Many large departments have issued similar orders in recent months to call broad swaths of their workforces back to offices. Load More