Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced a bill to cut the federal workforce by ten percent over three years, for a total reduction of 200,000 jobs.
The Federal Workforce Reduction Through Attrition Act would reduce federal rolls by hiring only one federal worker for every three who retire or leave. In the event that a federal agency does not meet the prescribed hiring ratio, an automatic hiring freeze would be applied until the criteria are satisfied.
“Sequester aside, this has to be the worst personnel management policy I’ve ever come across,” said NFFE National President William R. Dougan. “Forcing agencies to arbitrarily cut jobs without any corresponding reduction in workload is a recipe for disaster. The workforce is stretched thin enough as it is. Cuts like these would put countless federal services at risk with no regard for need-based, data-driven necessities.”
The bill is nearly identical to another measure introduced by the congresswoman in the 112th Congress, which never came up for a vote in the full House. Still, with the pressure of looming sequestration cuts and expiration of the continuing resolution, it is not impossible for a measure like this to get tacked onto a piece of must-pass legislation in the near future. NFFE will continue to lobby against this measure and protect the vital work you do for your country every day.