The House Oversight Committee held a hearing Tuesday exposing additional waste, fraud and abuse inside the federal government. Lawmakers focused on expensive pet projects that sent taxpayer money out the door with little oversight or scrutiny during the Biden administration and the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to testimony given at the hearing, billions of dollars in taxpayer funding was used to buy furniture for federal buildings not occupied by workers.
🚨John Hart—CEO at Open the Books—testified how the Biden Administration spent billions of taxpayer dollars on lavish furniture as federal offices sat empty:
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) April 8, 2025
"Agencies have spent more than $4.6 billion on furniture alone. That amount could buy 9.2 million American families a… pic.twitter.com/WTcUbKQ4o6
Federal buildings remained largely empty throughout President Joe Biden's entire presidency and buildings were not properly maintained, costing America taxpayers billions.
This is exactly the sort of thing @DOGEcommittee is here to expose:
— Rep. Pat Fallon (@RepPatFallon) April 8, 2025
Most of the largest federal agency buildings weren't even at 25% capacity in 2023.
AND
The federal government was spending $7 billion on leases alone for buildings that employees weren't even showing up to. pic.twitter.com/At6lS4sahl
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued a return to work order from the Oval Office and gave federal workers some choices: show up to for in-person work, resign or be fired.
"Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary," he ordered on January 20, 2025.
