Comer to invite former SSA Commissioner O’Malley to testify on federal telework policies next month

House Oversight Chairman James Comer on Monday told former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley of his intent to invite the ex-Biden administration official to testify in front of his committee next month about his agency's federal telework policies.

The letter comes after O'Malley signed an agreement last month with the American Federation of Government Employees – the country's largest federal employee union – to extend the agency's remote-work policies for 42,000 Social Security Administration  employees through 2029. 

"To better understand the rationale underlying collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) such as the one you recently signed in your capacity as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), we intend to issue you a formal invitation to testify at the hearing," Comer wrote in a letter shared with Just The News.

The letter also comes after the Biden administration found that most SSA employees have spent more than half their time since the COVID-19 pandemic working remotely, even when the rest of the country returned to pre-pandemic work.

Comer and Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also urged federal agencies under the Biden administration to stop what they consider "Trump-proofing" the agencies by reaching agreements with labor unions that would limit expected orders from President-elect Donald Trump's next administration. 

“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating whether President Biden’s federal labor policies have negatively affected agency operations and missions," the lawmakers wrote in letters to 24 agencies on Dec. 6. "It is also investigating whether agency leaders are abusing federal labor laws by granting authority over agency operations and policy to unions, chiefly to bind the hands of a future President."

The letters come as Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office on Jan. 20. 

The House Oversight Committee usually steps back when the House and White House are under the same party control, but Comer said he would work with the Trump administration to streamline proposals by the new Department of Government Efficiency, hold the federal workforce accountable, and institute regulatory reforms.

The letter did not include a proposed date, but the invitation is expected to be sent after the start of the 119th Congress on Jan. 3.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.