James Comer Gives Social Security Commissioner Hard Deadline to Explain Why Workers Haven't Been Going To The Office

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer anticipated Social Security Administration Commissioner Marin O'Malley he will be summoned to testify over the next month due to the work arrangement of the agency's employees.

Comer said in a letter that the hearing will "address existing agreements between federal agencies and federal employee unions that purport to prevent incoming executive branch officials appointed by President Trump from telling their own employees -and those of the American people- to show up to work."

Comer was referring specifically to an agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees "that purports to guarantee minimum telework levels for 42,000 SSA employees all the way through 2029." The agreement, the lawmaker added, was signed days before O'Malley stepped down from his post.

"Your motive for signing such an agreement is unclear, nor is it clear why the public interest is served by having a departing official of a lame duck."

The House Oversight Committee added in a post on X that "On O'Malley's watch, SSA employees have been notably absent from the office. Nearly all of the 58,875 SSA employees are deemed telework eligible, and according to the Biden Administration's own data, they have been spending less than half their time in the office."

"This failure to show up runs parallel to failures at SSA to accomplish its mission. SSA is failing to adequately serve the American people, as SSA disability determination processing times on average "have increased since fiscal year 2020." They have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels," the publication added,

In consequence, the entity added, O'Malley will be summoned to testify next month. "We believe your testimony will shed light on why so much of the federal workforce is currently at home, and federal agency offices are largely vacant."