The House Education and Workforce Committee has ordered acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su to hand over documents about the department’s plan for people to return to work.
Committee Chair Virginia Foxx said, “Under Acting Secretary Su, the Department of Labor has not been cooperating with our requests. They give vague answers and don’t provide what we ask for.”
This comes after Foxx warned Su during a committee meeting last week.
Foxx wrote to Su on March 6 asking for the department’s plan for people to return to the office. She wanted it by March 20, but she says Su didn’t give enough information. Foxx said if more information wasn’t given by May 6, she would force Su to give it by using a legal order called a subpoena.
Su did give some information on April 18, but Foxx said it wasn’t enough.
Foxx referred to a report from the Government Accountability Office that found the Department of Labor and five other government agencies only used about 23% of their office space. Foxx said this was not good, especially after guidance from the Office of Management and Budget in April 2023 said federal workers should go back to the office full-time.
Foxx said knowing how many people are in the office is important for making sure the Department of Labor is doing its job properly. She also said if workers don’t go back to the office, it could waste taxpayer money.
Media asked the Department of Labor for more comments but didn’t get a response.
Julie Su was picked by President Biden to replace former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh last March. But she faced problems getting approved by the Senate, especially from Republicans. Although she was nominated again in January, the Senate hasn’t voted on it yet.
