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Washington, D.C.—The real impact on Americans of the broad plans laid out by President Bush in his State of the Union address will only be known with the release, expected on February 4, of the administration’s proposed fiscal 2003 budget, the leader of the nation’s largest independent union of federal workers said today.

“This is where and when we will learn how serious the administration is about addressing vital national issues, including homeland security and the need to reassure the public of key government oversight of financial institutions. In its proposed budget, we will see if federal agencies will be provided the resources they need to deliver the programs and services the American people want, need and deserve,” National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen M. Kelley said. “The president’s stated priorities can only be achieved with adequate funding for federal agencies.”

The NTEU leader supported the president’s call for another pay raise for members of the military, reflecting the contributions they are making to the nation’s security. At the same time, she noted that federal civilian employees “have stepped up to meet today’s increased challenges, and they, too, deserve higher pay.”

Kelley said that apart from the State of the Union address, President Bush has indicated his plan to ask Congress for an additional $619 million for the Customs Service to allow it to hire 800 more inspectors and other personnel as part of an $18.2 billion increase in spending for homeland security in the coming year. While applauding the increase, Kelley said it still leaves this key border control agency short of the resources it needs to accomplish its enhanced mission.

On another matter of national concern, the NTEU leader said President Bush’s call for increased corporate responsibility requires effective federal government oversight and that, in turn, requires adequate funding for such key regulatory agencies as the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Kelley expressed her disappointment at indications that the administration’s proposed 2003 budget will fail to contain any funding for SEC pay parity to help attract and retain the skilled workers it needs, as reflected in recently-passed legislation. And, she said, proposals by the FDIC to eliminate some 95 employees in its legal division “hurt the government’s efforts to reassure Americans” about the safety of their financial institutions.

The NTEU president noted that the SEC long has not had the tools to compete with the private sector for the best legal and accounting talent, and that the FDIC traditionally has needed its most experienced lawyers in troubled economic times such as these.

In the broader picture encompassing all federal agencies, Kelley said that without sufficient funding, “there is no way that federal employees, no matter how talented and dedicated they are, can do their jobs in the manner that both they and public want and need.”

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing some 150,000 employees in 25 agencies and departments.