NFFE/IAM President Defends Federal Workers

In testimony before the House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy, NFFE/IAM President William Dougan defended federal workers and gave compelling evidence that the Republican “Rightsizing the Federal Workforce” plan was the wrong approach to reforming government. As part of its misguided budget proposal that includes dismantling Medicare, the Republican downsizing plan drastically reduces the federal workforce by attrition and severely reduces funding for most federal agencies.

“In the end, there are generally no savings derived from arbitrary staff reductions; rather a cost-shift moves resources away from the federal workforce to contractors,” said Dougan. “This is a pointless exercise that reduces government efficiency, hurts the services that federal agencies provide, and sticks taxpayers with a bigger bill.”

Dougan argued further that these policies would have a major impact on the government’s ability to deliver the critical services that the American people rely on. From veterans hospitals, to passport offices and national parks, workforce reductions in already understaffed federal agencies would seriously diminish the quality of key services.

“Are we really going to scale back inspections of our food and water supply that keep our families and our communities safe?” Dougan asked. “Are we going to reduce the number of men and women we have battling forest fires that threaten hundreds of communities throughout our country every year? That is the reality of what these staff cuts mean for the American people.”

Click here for the full testimony.