[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 120 (Tuesday, August 2, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5254-S5255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself and Mr. Coburn):
  S. 1476. A bill to reduce the size of the Federal workforce and 
Federal employee cost relating to pay, bonuses, and travel; to the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, after a contentious several months 
navigating the increase in the debt ceiling, Congress will be returning 
home in the next few days. I think many of us are anxious to go back to 
the States, where we will hear from our fellow citizens about their 
thoughts on what we are doing well and where we are falling short.
  Getting out of Washington and returning to our States will be a 
relief, but I am fully aware that after this brief respite, we will 
come back to Washington in the fall with many more contentious issues 
still on our plates.
  Our Nation is still on an unsustainable fiscal path, even with 
today's temporary resolution of the issues surrounding the debt 
ceiling. In addition, we have a government that has grown far too large 
and has taken on far too many obligations.
  Today, with all these concerns in mind, I am joined by Senator Tom 
Coburn in introducing the Federal Workforce Reduction and Reform Act of 
2011. If enacted, this bill will go a long way toward reducing the size 
of the Federal Government and helping to get our Nation's fiscal house 
in order.
  Specifically, our bill would extend the current pay freeze for 
Federal civilian employees for another 3 years. Bonuses paid Federal 
employees would also be frozen during that time. Currently, Federal 
workers receive an automatic cost-of-living adjustment every year and 
are eligible for relocation, retention, and performance bonuses as 
well.
  While I don't begrudge government employees their compensation, these 
automatic increases come with significant costs and far outpace those 
typically offered in the private sector. By simply extending the 
current pay freeze for another 3 years, we will save the Federal 
Government roughly $140 billion over 10 years.
  In addition, our bill would require the President, in consultation 
with the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel 
Management, to reduce the size of the Federal workforce by 15 percent--
roughly 300,000 employees--over the next 10 years. This could easily be 
accomplished through attrition and would save taxpayers over $225 
billion over that time.
  The bill would require a similar reduction in the Federal contract 
workforce as well. We have nothing against Federal agencies contracting 
services out to private venders. However, the significant increase in 
this practice

[[Page S5255]]

over the last several years has masked the size of the Federal 
Government. Indeed, when you include the contract workforce, the 
Federal Government is even larger than it appears.
  Our bill would require that the President work with OMB and OPM to 
count the number of employees working on Federal contracts and reduce 
that number by 15 percent over the next 10 years. This would provide an 
even greater reduction in the size of the Federal Government and save 
taxpayers another $230 billion over the next decade.
  Finally, this bill would reduce the travel budgets of Federal 
agencies by 75 percent over time. All told, the Federal Government 
spends over $15 billion a year on travel expenses. Most businesses 
respond to difficult financial times by reducing or eliminating 
unnecessary expenses. Most private sector leaders would tell you that 
travel expenses are one of the first things on the chopping block. 
Furthermore, improvements in teleconferencing technology and web-based 
communication have made much of the government-sponsored travel that 
was required in the past unnecessary.
  Our bill would cut Federal travel expenses in half for the first 2 
years, and then by three quarters thereafter. This will save American 
taxpayers something in the neighborhood of $40 billion over 10 years.
  Mr. President, our Nation is currently in the midst of a fundamental 
debate over the constitutional limits on the Federal Government. The 
President and his allies see no bounds for a living Constitution, while 
conservatives like myself believe that Federal power has far exceeded 
the Founders' limits and is a genuine threat to personal liberty.
  While this debate will likely not be resolved anytime soon, most of 
us can agree that we need to take immediate steps to address our 
Nation's looming fiscal crisis. The deal that was approved today was a 
step in the right direction, but it was only one step. We must do more, 
and we can do more, to right our fiscal ship. Some may see things 
differently, but I don't see any way that we can restore the integrity 
of the Nation's fiscal position without significantly reducing the size 
and cost of the Federal Government. The bill we are introducing today 
would be an important and measurable step toward that goal.
  According to the numbers and methodology used by the National 
Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, these changes combined 
will save American taxpayers more than $600 billion over 10 years. 
These are significant numbers. They represent more than half of the 
deficit reduction required in the first part of the deal agreed to 
today, and they could easily be realized if we enact this small handful 
of relatively simple reforms.
  I want to thank Senator Coburn--who continues to be a leader in the 
fight to bring us back to fiscal sanity--for his help and support on 
this bill. His has been a tireless voice against government excess and 
I am proud to join with him in this fight.
  I urge all my colleagues to support the Federal Workforce Reduction 
and Reform Act of 2011.
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