AFGE ACTION NETWORK

June 16, 2010

Republican lawmakers are at it again — attempting to freeze federal pay and cap the number of government workers.

This time, Senator John Thune (R-SD) is proposing an amendment to the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act that freezes federal pay, caps the number of government workers at current levels, and prohibits spending $38 billion in unobligated stimulus funds to create jobs.  It’s an insult to federal employees. And it’s terrible policy.  No one with a clear head cuts pay for workers in a jobs bill and then prohibits available money from being spent to create jobs.  Talk about bankrupt ideas.

Don’t let Senator Thune and his Republican cronies get away with it.

 Call your Senators right now at 202-224-3121.  Ask the Capitol Hill operator to connect you to your Senator’s office.  Urge your Senators to vote against the pay and hiring freeze.

The Thune proposal is a carbon copy of a similar amendment attempted by Senators McCain (R-AZ) and Coburn (R-OK) during debate a few weeks ago over the war supplemental bill.  AFGE members worked to defeat that amendment and we need to do it again. Lawmakers like Thune, McCain and Coburn are hypocritical at best.  They scapegoat federal employees and yet they oppose AFGE’s efforts to save tens of billions of dollars by controlling contracting out and insourcing federal jobs.  It’s dishonest and bad policy.

Call your Senators right now at 202-224-3121.  Ask the Capitol Hill operator to connect you to your Senator’s office.  Urge your Senators to vote against the pay and hiring freeze.

The insult to federal employees in this ongoing attack is clear. We’ve been here before and we can’t let it happen again.  We also need to make it clear that this is also an attack on working families across the board.  As James Horney, director of federal fiscal policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities warned the Thune amendment makes a good sound bite. But it would “shut down much of the federal government for the final months of the fiscal year”.  This would threaten “such basic services as providing Social Security checks, ensuring food safety and inspecting mines.”  Government Executive, 6/16/2010.

Don’t Let Senators Thune, McCain, Coburn and their colleagues get away with it.

 Call your Senators right now at 202-224-3121.  Ask the Capitol Hill operator to connect you to your Senator’s office.  Urge your Senators to vote against the pay and hiring freeze.