Home Media Center News Releases

Washington, D.C.—The leader of the nation’s largest independent union of federal employees today called on the House to reject an amendment to a hurricane relief bill which she said would only further seriously impede the ability of federal agencies to do their jobs on behalf of the American people.

In a letter to every House member, President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) warned of the damage to public services that would result from adoption of a proposal by Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) for across-the-board cuts of 1.63 percent for all federal agencies.

“Many agencies, including those represented by NTEU, have faced funding reductions over the last few years that have seriously hampered their ability to accomplish their missions,” President Kelley wrote.

The Mulvaney amendment will be offered to H.R. 152, the Fiscal 2013 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, designed to provide assistance to victims of Hurricane Sandy which struck the Northeast in late October.

President Kelley offered several vivid examples of the impact of reduced resources on federal agencies: insufficient funding has undermined efforts by the Internal Revenue Service to provide taxpayers with the assistance they need to meet their tax obligations—and have undercut the agency’s ability to generate critical revenue for the federal government; lack of funding has adversely impacted the ability of Customs and Border Protection to ensure security at the nation’s ports of entry; and inadequate resources are hampering the ability of the Food and Drug

Administration to assure that the nation’s food supply is protected and that drugs, vaccines and medical devices are safe and effective.

Moreover, the NTEU leader pointed out that most federal agencies face the threat of an additional 8 percent reduction in their budgets if Congress does not act to prevent sequestration later this year.

For these reasons, she told House members, “We strongly urge you to oppose the Mulvaney amendment.”

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