[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 71 (Tuesday, May 22, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H2547]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                RECOGNIZING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to recognize and 
to commend the work of our public servants and those individuals who do 
the work of the Federal Government every single day. Our Federal 
employees are not thanked enough for their service to our country. They 
do the work that keeps this country moving. Yet they are not given the 
compensation and the benefits that they deserve for the work that they 
do. Instead of receiving wages comparable to the private sector, 
instead of receiving affordable health care benefits, Federal workers 
are attacked by my colleagues often on the other side of the aisle.
  Recently a friend of mine handed me a letter that I found deeply 
disturbing. The letter is a fund-raising appeal sent out on behalf of a 
private organization and signed by a distinguished Member on the other 
side of the aisle.
  Unfortunately, the letter does more than argue for Tax Code changes. 
It condemns the work of thousands of dedicated employees of the IRS. 
The letter says that, by establishing a flat tax, and I quote, ``We 
will effectively dismantle the Internal Revenue Service which in 
addition to being the most burdensome, intrusive and aggressive Federal 
agency, is also considered one of the most wasteful.'' It goes on to 
discuss how people believe the IRS is grinding this country to a halt 
and jeopardizing the future opportunities for the next generation.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe these kinds of blanket attacks on a Federal 
agency and its workers are unjustified, they are unfair, and they are 
offensive. While no one would argue that our tax system is perfect, we 
certainly cannot blame Federal employees for its shortfalls. After all, 
the IRS employees are only doing their jobs, enforcing our Nation's 
laws.
  In all my years of representing the people of Michigan, I have found 
Federal employees to be some of the most dedicated, hard-working and 
honest workers that I have ever met. They are our public servants. They 
come to work every day to make sure our seniors get their Social 
Security checks, our schools get funds to teach our children, and our 
communities get the resources to protect their environment.
  They come to work every day knowing they are being paid on an average 
30 percent less than the private sector counterparts and struggling to 
afford Federal health insurance premiums that have soared 36 percent 
over the past 4 years.
  They come to work every day unsure of their jobs, whether they will 
be contracted out to private companies the next time the Bush 
administration gets a chance.
  We depend on our Federal employees, and they deserve our recognition 
and respect for the hard work that they do. After all, no matter how 
much we may simplify our Tax Code or any other regulation, we still 
need public servants to enforce our laws and do the people's work.
  While we consider policy changes that affect Federal agencies and 
their workers, it is my hope that we will stay focused on the policy. 
We have had enough scapegoating of the people who we have given the 
responsibility to enforce and implement these policies. Our Federal 
workers do a phenomenal job with the task we put before them. They 
deserve to be applauded, not attacked for their service to our country.

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