President Barack Obama has proposed a 1.3 percent federal pay raise next January. And his budget would provide for the hiring of about 34,000 new federal workers over the next fiscal year. He also wants Uncle Sam to be more competitive with Silicon Valley and to be able to attract the best and brightest for IT jobs governmentwide.

For the second year in a row, the White House did not propose a major overhaul of the way cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are determined for federal, military and Social Security retirees. At one point, the White House endorsed and proposed using the so-called Chained CPI method to track inflation and set January COLA adjustment for retirees. It’s estimated that using the “chained” system to measure inflation would reduce future COLAs about 0.4 percent each year. While that doesn’t sound like much, Jessica Klement of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees said that over a lifespan of the average CSRS retiree, it would reduce the value of their total benefit by more than $50,000. The White House dropped the idea last year at the urging of federal unions. But many speculated — incorrectly as it turned out — that it would reappear after the elections.

Congressional Democrats (31 so far) are pushing for a 3.8 percent pay hike. They say feds have a lot of catching up to do, following three years without any January adjustment, and two years of flat 1 percentage point raises.

Time is running out for Congress and the White House to come up with a spending package for the giant Department of Homeland Affairs. If they fail — the deadline is midnight this Friday — it could mean furloughs for tens of thousands of DHS workers while many thousands more, like the Secret Service agents assigned to presidential protection, would work without pay!

The new chairman of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee has promised a stem to stern inspection of the federal personnel system. Rep.Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), spoke at the National Treasury Employees Union legislative conference. He said the committee would look at the current federal hiring and firing system with an eye to making it easier to remove, quicker and easier, feds and managers caught not doing their jobs, or in criminal acts. Chaffetz told the Federal Times he’s open to an overhaul of the federal pay system to give agencies more flexibility to hire and retain the best people. Unlike his predecessor, Rep. Darryl Issa (R-Calif.), Chaffetz is said to have a good working relationship with ranking minority member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.). Cummings is from a district packed with federal workers and he’s always championed their cause. But over the past few years, tensions between Issa and Cummings were obvious. And that didn’t help feds.

So how’s it going to play out this year? Today at 10 a.m. EST on our Your Turn radio show, we’ll talk with Greg Stanford and Katie Maddocks of the Federal Managers Association. FMA is part of a coalition of federal and postal associations and unions set up to protect (and advance) the cause of federal workers in Congress. They’ll talk about proposals to roll-back the new pension tax on new federal hires, the President’s budget and chances for a bigger pay raise. FMA is having its national convention here in March.

Later in the show, we’ll be joined by senior Federal Times writer Andy Medici for the latest in what’s happen in Congress and the agencies. If you have a question, email them to me before showtime at: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com.

Listen if you can, and tell a friend.

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID

By Michael O’Connell

Ducks secrete oil from glands near their tails, which they then spread all over their bodies. This is why water rolls off a duck’s back.

Source: Super Beefy

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