[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 106 (Thursday, June 28, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1443-E1444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008

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                               speech of

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 27, 2007

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2829) making 
     appropriations for financial services and general government 
     for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Chairman, I oppose the Sessions amendment to H.R. 
2829, the Financial Services Appropriations bill. H.R. 2829 includes a 
provision to help restore equity to the contracting process by 
preventing private contractors from having an unfair advantage over 
Federal Employees when competing for Federal jobs. The Sessions 
amendment would eliminate that provision from the bill and would 
continue the administration's policy of playing politics with the civil 
service system.
  The rapid increase in procurement spending in recent years has 
brought the size of the ``shadow government'' represented by Federal 
contractors to record levels. We must stop the misguided effort to send 
Federal jobs to private contractors at any cost. H.R. 2829 is an 
important step in that direction.
  H.R. 2829, specifically section 738, ensures that Federal employees 
have the right to compete fairly for their jobs before they are 
privatized. The bill prevents contractors from gaining an unfair 
advantage by not providing comparable health and retirement benefits. 
H.R. 2829 also ensures that agencies, not OMB, have the discretion to 
decide whether a public-private competition is appropriate.
  H.R. 2829 gives Federal employees the right to appeal privatization 
decisions--a right that contractors already enjoy. We saw this in the 
Army's reversal of its 2004 decision to allow the in-house Federal 
workforce at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to perform support 
services at Walter Reed. When the competing private contractor 
protested the Army's decision, the Army reversed its decision and 
resolved the A-76 process in favor of the contractor. If the Army had 
initially decided in favor of the contractor, the employees would have 
had no similar right to protest.
  This is about fairness. The administration's policy under Circular A-
76 puts private contractors on third base before Federal employees even 
get a turn at bat. Section 738 of this bill helps level the playing 
field. The Sessions amendment would strip this important language from 
the bill. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the Sessions 
amendment.

[[Page E1444]]



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