[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16503]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         FEDERAL HIRING FREEZE

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, as chairman of the Senate subcommittee that 
oversees the Federal workforce, I strongly oppose the proposal by my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle to impose a hiring freeze for 
all nonsecurity positions in the Federal Government. If adopted, this 
proposal would sacrifice our Nation's long-term investments in the 
employees needed to efficiently and effectively run government programs 
for a short-sighted approach that does nothing to address our current 
fiscal challenges.
  Far from being fiscally responsible, these policies would end up 
costing the government more over the long run, by increasing our 
reliance on contractors whose work would not be capped. Arbitrary 
restrictions on hiring Federal employees open up opportunities for 
waste, fraud, and abuse as contracting expands without investment in 
oversight. Over the past decade, Federal contracts have nearly doubled 
in size, to over $500 billion, but the size of the workforce overseeing 
contractors has stayed constant. We must reverse, not reinforce, that 
trend.
  Over the past two years, we have made efforts to rebalance the work 
performed by Federal employees and contractors. Many times, replacing 
contractors with Federal employees allows agencies to more efficiently 
meet their missions and provide vital services. The American people 
expect strong leadership from the Federal Government and we must make 
sure the Federal Government has the people it needs to perform critical 
functions and to properly oversee the important work done by 
contractors. Freezing the Federal workforce could once again lead to 
dramatic overreliance on contractors, putting agency missions and 
taxpayer dollars at risk.
  The American people deserve a government that hires the right people 
with the right skills to run their government in an effective and 
efficient manner. An arbitrary cap on Federal employees is a poor 
substitute for the careful, thoughtful approach to Federal workforce 
planning we need.
  Our Federal civil service is comprised of hard working, talented 
people who have dedicated their lives to the service of this country--
and our way of life would not exist without them. These are honorable 
men and women who provide critical services to the American people, 
including protecting our Nation, ensuring that our food and drugs are 
safe, caring for our wounded warriors, and responding to natural 
disasters. America's public servants deserve our gratitude and respect. 
I thank them for their dedication.

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