The House next week will take up a very serious proposal to cut the federal workforce by 10 percent. So is it going to happen and, if so, what’s in it for you?

My favorite psychic, who moonlights as a lobbyist for a pro-federal worker/retiree outfit, predicts the mandatory diet for Uncle Sam will be approved by the very active (for Congress) House Oversight Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce. By a 7-4 vote (this psychic is precise)! And that it will sail through the parent committee, and then the full House.

Most of us, including most members of Congress, could probably stand to lose 10 percent of our body weight. But not all in one spot. The loss needs to be spread out. Otherwise we would walk funny or maybe not function as well. And that’s a problem the government could face if the 10 percent cut makes it through the full House (it will) and Senate (maybe yes, maybe no.) And the president signs it into law.

Republicans on the committee come Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Utah, Florida, Michigan and South Carolina. Those states all have large numbers of feds and retired feds. They are very smart men (all are men) and most are convinced there are way too many feds and that feds are – compared to the private sector – paid way too much! Democrats on the subcommittee represent Massachusetts, DC, Virginia and Illinois. Also states with lots of active and retired civil servants. While they are pro-fed (or they wouldn’t be in Congress,) they are more a speed bump than a roadblock to GOP plans to bring the federal workforce under control.

Under the plan, federal agencies will only be able to fill one of every three vacancies that occur due to retirement, resignation, dismissal or death. So you lose three people in your shop, you can replace one.

If you’ve been in government long enough, you have gone through these mandatory cutbacks before. Like this Social Security Administration worker we’ll call “Larry”. He says:

“Cutting the Federal workforce by attrition works fine if you assume that:

“1. All Federal workers are interchangeable. In that case it will not matter if we lose a lot of air traffic controllers so long as we keep enough poultry inspectors so that the total is reduced by 10%, or

“2. People leave in the exact number that each organization is overstaffed. This means that if we could do with 25% less folks in job X, 25% of the folks in job X will retire, quit, or die; if a job that is critical to health, safety, or security is understaffed, no one will retire, quit or die; and if a function is unnecessary, all of the employees will voluntarily leave.

“If none of these is true, someone needs to make the hard decisions about what we need and can afford, and what we need to do with less or none of.”

Cutting the workforce is the easy part.

Getting it right? Not so easy.

If the worst happens, and the cuts cause service problems at Social Security, the IRS, reduce the number of air traffic controllers, or produce even longer lines at airport security, not to worry! Congress (starting with the subcommittee) will be on the problem in a heartbeat. As it has many times before. Enraged politicians, especially if they or the wife misses a flight, will demand to know why agencies are not properly staffing key services.

Enjoy!

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com

Nearly Useless Factoid
by Suzanne Kubota

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