Van Hollen Statement on the President’s Proposal to Freeze Federal Employee Pay
Washington,
Nov 29, 2010 -
Today Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen issued the following statement on President Obama’s proposal to freeze federal employee pay for 2011 and 2012:
“I support the President’s effort to reduce the deficit and ensure we put our nation back on the path to long-term financial sustainability. As someone who represents thousands of federal employees, I know they are willing to do their part to help our nation in this effort. But it would have been far preferable for the White House to have included this as part of a comprehensive proposal, instead of singling out the hard working men and women of the federal workforce. By focusing exclusively on federal employees, the Administration runs the risk of reinforcing the myth, pushed by some for politically convenient but cynical reasons, that America suffers from a federal government comprised of unproductive and overpaid civil servants. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“Despite all the rhetoric around cuts to big government, the civilian federal workforce was smaller as of 2009 than it was in 1968, according to the Office of Personnel Management, despite serving millions more Americans. Additionally, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, federal employees were paid an average of 24 percent less than their private sector counterparts in 2010 – a gap that widened by 2 percent since 2009. Every single day, federal employees provide vital services that help keep our nation safe, strong, and healthy. They ensure veterans get the care and benefits they deserve and seniors get the health care and Social Security benefits they have earned. Civil servants prosecute criminals, protect our borders, and combat terrorism.
“I agree with the President that we must have a serious national debate about how to reduce the deficit and tackle the national debt. But rather than taking this kind of piecemeal approach, I would prefer to address our budget challenges in a thorough, comprehensive way.”
Congressman Chris Van Hollen
