A watchdog report reveals the Interior Department overpaid employees who falsely claimed to be based in DC, totaling nearly $400,000.
Washington: The Interior Department has been caught overpaying workers by up to $400,000. This happened because some employees claimed they were working in DC when they were actually spread out across the country.
A report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that at least 48 employees were improperly receiving higher pay rates meant for those based in the DC area. They didn’t even show up to the office as required.
In fact, 40 of these employees didn’t report to the office at least twice during the pay period in 2023, which is the minimum needed to qualify for that extra pay. The OIG estimates that this led to about $401,689 in overpayments.
Workers in DC get a significant pay bump—33.94%—due to the high cost of living. Only a few other cities, like New York and San Francisco, have higher increases.
The report also showed that some of these employees were living in places like Alabama, California, and Indiana, far from the capital. It’s a bit wild to think they were cashing in on DC pay while living elsewhere.
Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa has been pushing for reforms to tighten up government telework policies. She’s been vocal about the need for accountability in how government employees work and where they’re based.
Interestingly, a recent report indicated that the Interior Department’s headquarters is only about 14% full on average. That’s a lot of empty desks!
Ernst is also forming a bipartisan Inspector General Caucus to help tackle waste and fraud in government. She believes inspectors general play a crucial role in keeping an eye on taxpayer money.
She’s been working with various leaders to address government inefficiencies and believes that empowering these watchdogs is key to making real changes.
In the past, Ernst has aimed to root out $2 trillion in government waste, and while that’s a hefty goal, she’s determined to make a difference.
