Federal workers becoming a flash point in midterm elections

Last week Republicans proposed a hiring freezeof non-security federal workers. That\'s just the latest GOP effort to target federal workers\' pay and hiring. So...

Last week Republicans proposed a hiring freeze of non-security federal workers. That’s just the latest GOP effort to target federal workers’ pay and hiring.

The GOP has also tried to block a 1.4 percent pay increase, pass a two-week furlough, fire workers who owe federal taxes and freeze bonuses, The Washington Post reports.

So far these efforts haven’t gone far, but that could change with a GOP takeover of Congress after the midterm elections.

Democrats and unions are fighting the claims that federal government is too big and overpaid.

John Berry, head of the Office of Personnel Management, said in the Post that under the current administration, four out of five hires have been to defense and homeland security jobs and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“I’d ask, which one of those would you like to fire?” Berry said.

Berry also disputes claims that federal employees are paid double their private sector counterparts.

This story is part of our daily DorobekINSIDER Must Reads. Be sure to check out the full list of stories.

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Amelia Brust, Federal News NetworkTelework

    What the UK gets about remote work that the US doesn’t

    Read more
    APUSPS Delivery Changes

    Postal union calls for Open Season extension after members see enrollment issues

    Read more
    (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2017, file photo, a sign on a door of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington. Long-running research projects credited with pivotal discoveries about the harm that pesticides, air pollution and other hazards pose to children are in jeopardy or shutting down because the Environmental Protection Agency will not commit to their continued funding, researchers say.  (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

    EPA workforce ‘particularly susceptible’ to Trump’s Schedule F plans

    Read more