Oppose S. 102 – ROOMIE Act: Preserve Workforce Flexibility and Protect Taxpayers

I urge you to oppose S. 102, the “Reinforce Occupancy Obligations for Maximized Interagency Efficiency Act” (the ROOMIE Act). This bill would micromanage the federal workforce by mandating that agencies require at least 80 percent of employees to work in-person Monday through Friday and occupy at least 60 percent of their office square footage—regardless of mission needs or employee circumstances . Section 3’s “findings” cherry-pick Government Accountability Office data to label under-utilization as waste, ignoring that modern telework arrangements have boosted productivity, cut real estate costs, and reduced carbon emissions. In reality, flexible work models have saved taxpayers billions and improved service delivery without compromising mission readiness . Worse, Section 5 would punish agencies that cannot hit these arbitrary targets by forcing property sales or terminating leases, risking the closure of critical field offices and disrupting services to veterans, seniors, and low-income families. Congress should strengthen, not hamstring, agencies’ ability to adapt workspace to evolving needs . Rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all return-to-office rule, please defend proven telework flexibilities, support data-driven space management, and protect both mission effectiveness and employee well-being. I respectfully ask you to speak out against S. 102 and vote “No” should it reach the Senate floor. Thank you for your leadership on these issues.