NEGATIVE Labor 118th Congress

H.R.6276 USE IT Act

USE IT Act — creates arbitrary worksite occupancy metrics for federal offices that harm field staff ability to serve the public efficiently (118th Congress)

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Legal & Constitutional Grounding

OPM data shows teleworkers outperform non-teleworkers (77.1 vs 58.5 engagement); no evidence supports mandatory RTO.

OPM Federal Employee Viewpoints Survey (2022) — teleworking federal employees scored 77.1/100 on Employee Engagement Index vs. 58.5/100 for non-teleworkers; no evidence that return-to-office mandates improve performance

OPM (2024) — 51% of agencies reported telework policies played a significant role in hiring; 60% said telework is central to employee retention
GAO-25-106316 and GAO-25-107363 — selected agencies have not evaluated whether telework negatively affects performance; no GAO finding supports mandatory RTO improving service delivery
Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-292) — requires agencies to establish telework policies; reflects congressional recognition of telework benefits

USE IT Act — federal return-to-office mandate. The bill mandates office return without accounting for documented productivity gains from telework arrangements.