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Washington, D.C – The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) helped preserve the long-standing ban on competitions between federal employees and private contractors in legislation approved by the U.S. House.

The 2018 Omnibus Appropriations bill now goes to the Senate with a provision that prevents federal funds going toward any public-private competition under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76.

“NTEU has fought hard to maintain the moratorium on the so-called A-76 competitions because they are inherently unfair to federal employees,” said NTEU National President Tony Reardon. “Replacing federal employees with for-profit contractors wastes money and makes government less accountable to the taxpayers.”

In the past, OMB found that excessive reliance on contractors erodes the in-house capacity of agencies to perform critical functions, undermining their ability to accomplish their missions.

The amendment to the appropriations legislation maintaining the moratorium had bipartisan support, led by Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.)

“This moratorium has served our country well, making sure vital government work remains in the hands of professional civil servants who are committed to the public good, not a company’s profit margin,” Reardon said.

NTEU is opposed to the reduced funding levels contained in the omnibus and will work with our allies in the Senate to secure adequate funding so agencies can successfully carry out their missions.