Another strategy—workforce reduction

There are just too many feds out there, according to some lawmakers.

Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., last month joined with like-minded colleagues to introduce a bill that proposes to freeze federal hiring in years the country runs a federal deficit. This now appears be every year into the distant future.

Additionally, the bill would establish a “hiring pool,” which would work to trim the federal workforce this way:

The pool would contain zero full-time-equivalent positions at the start of 2011. When a current fed leaves federal service, half of an authorized FTE position would be added to the pool from which agencies could hire. In other words, the federal government could hire only one FTE back into the workforce for every two FTEs who leave.

In the name of national security, the bill exempts DoD, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Veterans Affairs. These also are the three biggest departments, together employing half or more of the feds out there. (Apparently the largest agencies are not perceived as bloated, but the smaller ones are.)

The Federal Workforce Reduction Act, H.R. 5348, was referred to the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform, where—in this Congress—it is very likely to stay. While bills that aim to trim or freeze the amount of the budget that goes into feds’ pockets may seem quixotic in the face of the administration’s insourcing efforts, expect to see more of them as budget hawks continue to target the federal workforce amid the slow recovery.