House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., this morning took the House floor to denounce a bill steeply hiking the pension contributions for new and rehired federal employees. But he didn’t stop there. Hoyer’s stemwinder of a speech turned into a condemnation of “the most anti-federal worker Congress that I have served in.” Hoyer also says the 0.5 percent pay raise proposed by President Obama is pretty much dead, and that House Republicans have no intention of breaking the pay freeze. So get ready to tighten your belts for a third year.
Monthly Archives: February, 2012
Key congressional negotiators have just signed off on a conference report to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance, and there’s an unexpected surprise in there. New members of Congress would no longer get a cushy pension, and would instead get the same annuity as rank-and-file federal employees, according to Ali Ahmad, who is a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. Feds under the Federal Employees Retirement System have their pension calculated at either 1 percent or 1.1 percent, depending on their age. But lawmakers under FERS have their pension calculated at 1.7 percent. That, when combined with their…
The Senate has yet to begin a formal debate over a proposed postal overhaul, but the jawboning is already well under way. The latest development: 27 senators led by Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wrote the bill’s sponsors today urging them to consider some “significant improvements.” Such as protection for rural post offices; barring the U.S. Postal Service from a change in delivery service standards that could lead to the closing of up to 252 mail processing plants; and requiring the continuation of six-day-a-week mail delivery for at least another four years. They also call for creation of a blue-ribbon commission that…
Cybersecurity legislation introduced by Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., on Tuesday empowers the Department of Homeland Security to regulate cyber standards for the nation’s critical infrartucture systems. The Cybersecurity Act of 2012 calls on the DHS secretary to work with the private sector in identifying systems that pose the greatest risk and could cause death, severe economic damage or national security risks if attacked. DHS and the private sector would be responsible for creating performance standards for owners and operators of power grids and other systems if none exist. Industry would have to decide how best to meet the performance standards in…
While spending in the Obama administration’s proposed fiscal budget is essentially flat overall, some agencies are facing cuts. The Agriculture, Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury departments and the Environmental Protection Agency are just a few of the organizations that could possibly see declines in their budgets next year. What do you think about the proposed budget? How would cuts affect your organization, and what would they mean for you personally? E-mail me at slosey@federaltimes.com or Sean Reilly at sreilly@federaltimes.com to share your thoughts. If you’d like to talk anonymously, that’s fine.
A bill that would increase the amount federal employees pay toward their pensions and steeply cut the pensions of future federal employees is continuing to work its way through the House. The House Rules Committee is scheduled to consider HR 3813, the Securing Annuities for Federal Employees Act, at a 5 p.m. meeting today, where it could be amended. The committee’s approval is the final step before it heads to the House floor. Fred Piccolo, the chief of staff for bill sponsor Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., said it’s unclear when debate on the bill will begin, but said it could…
The federal information technology budget for 2013 would invest in cybersecurity while remaining relatively flat overall, under the president’s plan. Overall IT funding for civilian agencies and the Defense Department would decrease 1 percent from $79.8 billion this year to $78.9 billion in 2013. Here are the winners and losers in the proposed budget: Biggest increases (Agency, proposed funding for fiscal 2013) *U.S. Agency for International Development, $112.4 million, 25% increase *Treasury Department, $3.6 billion, 11% increase *Education Department, $578 million, 11% increase *Small Business Administration, $112 million increase, 10% increase Biggest cuts *Housing and Urban Development Department, $392 million, 20%…
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The American Federation of Government Employees is stepping up its campaign against House Republicans who want to further freeze federal pay to cover the cost of a payroll tax extension. AFGE this weekend will launch a nationwide series of television and print ads titled “Explain It To Me, GOP,” that wonder how cutting federal pay and benefits will help the economy recover. The ad seeks to put a face on federal employees who lawmakers often discuss in general — and sometimes disparaging — terms. It features members of AFGE locals — a Minnesota Veterans Affairs Department nurse, an electronics worker…
Politico’s Mike Allen scores a scoop today on the Obama campaign’s playlist — music to be played at rallies and other reelection events. Most of it would make a really good Spotify playlist*, and it contains a mix of classic soul music (including, of course, “Let’s Stay Together”) and indie-ish rock such as Arcade Fire, Wilco and Florence + the Machine. But I heard a record scratch sound in my head when I came across not one, but two songs by Darius Rucker. Really? Hootie? (We’ll see if Obama blames that one on Axelrod.) After the jump, you can find…