The U.S. Department of Agriculture office tasked with protecting the country from invasive pests like bed bugs is currently battling a bed bug infestation inside its own building.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, which operates out of the George Washington Carver Center in Beltsville, Maryland, is responsible for defending the nation from tiny threats like bird flu and the New World screwworm. Bedbugs are another nefarious villain the agency is tasked with snuffing out, a villain that has infiltrated the agency’s head office.
Every tale of a spy agency eventually devolves into a story about a mole within the agency trying to destroy it from the inside out. This is that, but dumber.
A Federal Pest-Fighting Agency Is Dealing With a Bed Bug Infestation in Its Own Office
In mid-May, employees were told that their office had been invaded by bedbugs. It’s a tale chock-full of irony, one that is not lost on one department employee speaking with political news outlet Notus, who plainly stated that the irony “was lost on no one.” Irony so on the nose that even the humorless get it.
The staff was allowed to work from home while the building was being fumigated, but that didn’t last long. When they came back into the office, some of them reported getting sick from the lingering chemical fumes. Here’s the punchline: as of last Friday, the bedbugs that had to be fumigated away came right back.
And this time, remote work was not approved. According to the report, these people allegedly had to sit there and endure an office loaded with bedbugs. If they didn’t, they had to use up some of their own personal days.
In an email to staff, acting chief operating officer Carson Hawley suggested the resurgence was due to “insufficient compliance regarding personal items,” essentially blaming the workers for bringing the bugs back. Which might be real, who knows.
The employees fired back, telling reporters that they feared taking potentially infested belongings home, since that could obviously trigger an infestation there, too, so some of them are now filing OSHA complaints.
The post The Government Office Tasked With Fighting Bugs Is Currently Battling Bed Bugs. Seriously. appeared first on VICE.
