A group of federal employee unions and advocacy groups have sent a letter to the chairs of the Committee on Deficit Reduction expressing both disapproval and support for some of the President’s recent deficit reduction ideas.
The letter says that while the groups can appreciate the President’s request to have “some sacrifice from all of us,” they believe that federal employees are being unfairly singled out via the various deficit reduction proposals being floated around Washington. The groups say that the pay freeze enacted at the end of 2011 was sacrifice enough and some of the new ideas are unfair.
The deficit reduction ideas specifically called out in the letter are:
- Increasing federal employee retirement contributions
- Eliminating the FERS annuity supplement
- Eliminating five-day postal delivery
The letter, however, does commend some of the President’s proposals:
- Capping contractor salaries
- Streamlining the FEHBP pharmacy benefit program
- Strengthening tax enforcement and compliance
The letter concludes by saying, “More than anyone, our nation’s civil servants understand the constraints of the federal budget. They are already doing their part to lower government costs. During these tough economic times, when citizens are demanding more from the federal government, America cannot afford a second-class civil service.”
