A bill introduced Monday in the House would follow up on the deficit commission's recommendation to cut the federal workforce by 10 percent.
The bill (H.R. 2114), introduced by Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., Dennis Ross, R-Fla., and Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, would reduce the size of the federal workforce by 10 percent by 2015. The bill allows for one federal employee to be hired to replace every three who retire or leave their job.
The bill also prohibits agencies from hiring contractors to get around the reduction in the size of their workforce.
The bill draws on recommendations from the President's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which estimated that a 10 percent workforce reduction would save taxpayers $127.5 billion over ten years.
"Office of Personnel Management projections suggest approximately 400,000 federal employees are currently eligible for retirement," Ross said in a statement. "As these workers leave, we cannot let this opportunity to save taxpayer money pass."
Still, some Democrats have contended that claims of a bloated federal workforce are false. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said at a hearing last month that executive branch employment on a per capita basis is at its lowest level in 50 years. In 1962, for example, there were 13.3 federal employees for every 1,000 Americans, while today, there are only 8.4, he said, pointing to Office of Management and Budget data.
What are your thoughts on the proposed workforce cuts? What impact would they have on your IT department and your agency's plans for IT?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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