In a surprising revelation, a watchdog report obtained by the New York Post exposes that as federal employees predominantly worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government spent a staggering $3.3 billion on new office furniture. The report, citing data from the Government Accountability Office and published by taxpayer watchdog group OpenTheBooks.com, sheds light on the expenditures between 2020 and 2022.
Despite the absence of employees due to widespread telework, federal agencies maintained pre-pandemic spending levels, averaging over $1 billion annually on upgraded furnishings. This revelation raises eyebrows, particularly as the report indicates that 17 out of 24 federal agencies are operating at a fraction of their building capacities, ranging from 9% to 49%.
Feds spent $3.3 billion on office furniture during pandemic despite teleworkhttps://t.co/52Ql6dCnAd pic.twitter.com/xnYKBR2Qk6
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) October 3, 2023
The details are striking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allocated $237,960 for solar-powered picnic tables, while the U.S. embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, invested $120,000 in leather recliners from Ethan Allen. Even as the Environmental Protection Agency downsized and moved into a 300,000 square-foot office space in Philadelphia, they spent a whopping $6.5 million on new furniture.
A particularly glaring example comes from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which reportedly spent nearly $15 million, equivalent to $14,400 per employee, on new décor, drawing attention from OpenTheBooks Founder and CEO Adam Andrzejewski: “Yet for some reason, we’ve bankrolled another billion dollars in desks, chairs, couches, and more — while employees clock in from their own living rooms.”
This report surfaces amidst ongoing debates over government spending, with Congress passing eleventh-hour legislation to fund the government at current levels until Nov. 17. Notably, the Pentagon emerges as the leading spender on furniture, totaling $1.2 billion, with significant expenditures by other agencies, including the Department of Veteran Affairs, the Justice Department, the General Service Administration, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security.