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Washington, D.C. — The House of Representatives did a “disservice to our nation and the American people” with today’s vote approving the misguided fiscal 2013 budget resolution by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), said the leader of the nation’s largest independent federal union.
“This budget resolution attacks the very people who protect our nation’s ports and borders, keep our food and medicines safe, ensure that the air we breathe and water we drink are clean, safeguard our nation’s financial institutions, and provide so many other services that our nation depends on,” said Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). “Those who support this budget fail to acknowledge that middle class federal employees are suffering like much of the rest of America, while they instead promote further tax cuts for the millionaires, billionaires and corporations that send jobs overseas.”
Passed by the House today by a 228-191 vote, the budget seeks to cut the federal workforce by 10 percent, extend the federal pay freeze to a total of five years, and cut federal pensions by $112 billion. The federal workforce, through the two-year pay freeze, has already contributed $60 billion to deficit reduction over a decade, while $15 billion from higher pension contributions for new employees was used to offset part of the payroll tax holiday extension legislation.
“Time after time, House leadership has singled out this group of middle class Americans to bear an unfair share of the financial burden,” Kelley said. “This vote only confirms the Republican leadership’s insistence on shielding an elite group of wealthy individuals and companies from any sacrifice, while assailing those who have committed their working lives to serving our nation.”
Kelley warned that these continued attacks will drive knowledgeable and dedicated employees out of federal service and prevent Americans from receiving the government services they expect and deserve.
“This budget does not serve the best interests of our nation and the American people,” Kelley said. “I look forward to the Senate giving it the support it deserves: None.”
NTEU is the nation’s largest independent union of federal workers, representing 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.