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Washington, D.C.—Two critically important federal government functions—ensuring the safety of food and medicines and helping secure the nation’s borders—would both receive a boost in the administration’s fiscal 2014 budget proposal, a development welcomed by the head of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

“I am pleased to see that key units of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would be able to fund much-needed staffing increases,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley.

For CBP, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, the White House fiscal 2014 budget would provide resources to fund 3,477 positions for new frontline CBP Officers. The positions would be funded through a mixture of appropriated funds and increases in user fees. Staffing shortages are widespread and continuing within CBP at the nation’s land, air and sea ports of entry, leading to significant increases in wait times for travelers and commercial traffic seeking to enter the country.

Meanwhile, at HHS, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—where the workload in recent years has increased dramatically—would be able to add 291 new positions. “NTEU strongly endorses this increase in the budget, but it is still insufficient for FDA’s expanding duties,” Kelley said. “We know that the FDA is sorely lacking in the personnel and resources it needs to do its job.”

Elsewhere within HHS, the White House budget funds the Health Resources and Services Administration for a workforce level similar to last year. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration would see a small increase of 19 positions in its workforce; the Administration for Children and Families would have stable staffing; and the combined Administration for Community Living and Office of the Secretary would see a net increase of 58 positions.

“Each one of these is a vital component of one of the government’s largest and most visible departments,” Kelley said. “The actions of HHS operating divisions touch individuals and families in very personal and important ways, and it is critical to our national well-being that they are staffed and funded at appropriate levels.”

While welcoming the proposals affecting HHS and CBP, the NTEU leader clearly was displeased by other aspects of the administration budget. In particular, she criticized the idea of significant increases in federal employee pension contributions—and with no increase in annuity. She also criticized the proposal for only a 1 percent pay raise in 2014, calling it inadequate in light of the three-year pay freeze and the potential for unpaid furlough days from sequestration.

In addition, she took sharp exception to the proposed end for new hires of the supplement payable under the Federal Employees Retirement System, and a proposed move to a chained consumer price index for measuring inflation and calculating increases to Social Security and federal retirement cost-of-living payments.

“The fact is that federal employees did not create the economic issues the country is facing and they should not be the primary source of revenue to fix those problems,” Kelley said.

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.