(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The Trump-led Department of Agriculture is battling a bed bug infestation that officials say may have been caused by employees’ negligence, with the same workers now demanding the right to stay home while collecting taxpayer-funded salaries.
The infestation, first reported Tuesday by NOTUS, appears to have affected the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which is based at the George Washington Carver Center in Beltsville, Maryland.
A USDA spokesperson said the infestation persisted even after fumigation services were ordered because infested personal items were left behind by employees, even after they were initially allowed to work from home.
“USDA took prompt and robust action several weeks ago,” the spokesperson said, according to NOTUS. “Unfortunately, personal belongings left in the offices caused further issue. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service management is working with employees to ensure the spaces are emptied for proper mitigation.”
Five employees, none of whom agreed to speak on the record and instead spoke anonymously, said they were notified of the bed bug issue in mid-May. APHIS temporarily allowed employees to work from home while the building underwent treatment.
The problem persisted despite those efforts, prompting some employees to complain of purported “noxious fumes” and “resulting sickness.” The federal agency renewed telework accommodations in response.
However, new bed bugs were observed in certain parts of the building on Friday. This time, employees were told to use their vacation time if they did not wish to report to the office.
“They treated the building, and then they sent people home again because of offgassing. Then they came back. Now there’s more bedbugs,” an anonymous employee told NOTUS.
Another unnamed employee claimed they had “returned to an office that was making them sick because the chemicals hadn’t aired out.”
The complaints come after Donald Trump issued an executive memorandum ending the Biden administration’s expansive telework policies, which had allowed thousands of employees to work remotely with little supervision for extended periods while taxpayers continued funding federal office space.
