House Oversight hearing focuses on federal telework after Social Security telework pact and customer-service gains

Chairman Comer opened the House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing saying President Trump’s incoming administration will find many federal headquarters largely empty and arguing that prolonged pandemic‑era telework has harmed agency performance and downtown economies. “When President Trump’s team enters federal agency headquarters in and around Washington DC, they’ll find them to be mostly empty,” he said.

The hearing centered on a November 27, 2024 collective bargaining amendment between the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) that witnesses described as preserving existing telework eligibility and schedules through October 25, 2029. Critics said the timing—signed after the November election and days before the outgoing commissioner left office—effectively limits an incoming administration’s ability to change telework arrangements quickly.

Supporters and agency veterans disputed that characterization and emphasized operational context. “Social Security is a lifeline to 72,000,000 Americans,” former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley told the committee, and he attributed several performance gains last year to management actions taken while he led the agency. O’Malley cited a fall in the 1‑800 speed‑to‑answer from about 42 minutes to 12.8 minutes, a 6.2% year‑over‑year productivity increase, and reductions in administrative law judge…