[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 20254-20255]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    SUPPORT AMERICA'S CIVIL SERVANTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, yesterday we passed a Defense authorization 
bill. That Defense authorization bill had a 1.6 percent increase for 
our military personnel. That was an appropriate thing for us to do.
  However, at the same time we are looking at reducing very 
substantially the pay and benefits available to our civilian Federal 
employees. Madam Speaker, I rise out of a deep concern that this 
Congress continues to ask one group to sacrifice to bring down our 
Nation's deficit while not asking others to contribute as well.

[[Page 20255]]

  That one group are average working Americans. Now, they work for the 
Federal Government, some perhaps the State and local governments. And 
there is an antipathy towards government by many, many of the public, 
many Members of this House. That antipathy is, therefore, focused on 
the workers. But we have substantially fewer Federal employees today 
than we had 20 years ago, not only in terms of real numbers but in 
terms of per capita, where the population has substantially expanded 
and the number of Federal employees per person to be served has been 
substantially reduced.
  With all of the challenges we face today on a national scale, we 
ought to ensure that those who help devise solutions and carry them out 
receive the recognition they are due. We talk a good game on this 
floor; but, very frankly, we turn it over to employees to carry out our 
policies. We don't do that. They do it.
  They should not be constantly subjected to the kind of verbal attacks 
and legislative assaults we have seen over the last couple of years and 
that are included in the bills that have passed this House just this 
past week. I am speaking, of course, about America's public servants.
  Those who work in civilian government positions are no less important 
to our safety, health, prosperity, and general well-being than their 
military counterparts who protect our freedom.
  I honor our troops. I will be wearing a yellow ribbon later today to 
welcome home those troops who have fought to protect country, defeat 
terrorists, and stabilize the international community. They have 
blessed America with their courage and their commitment and their 
service.

                              {time}  1020

  But Federal civilian employees make certain that the products we buy 
and the prescription drugs we use are safe. They perform critical 
research to advance the fight against cancer and other diseases. They 
help our farmers and ranchers access new markets for their goods. They 
see millions of passengers travel safely across our skies and keep 
watch over our ports and border crossings. They ensure a fair playing 
field for banks and businesses and enforce the rules we have in place 
to preserve the health of our air and water from pollution.
  So many of the public functions we often take for granted are the 
purview of the hardworking men and women who constitute our Federal 
workforce. They're middle class Americans, working Americans, who have, 
in many cases, chosen to serve their country by lending their talents 
and skills--some for a short time, others for their entire careers.
  As an American, I am proud of the work they do, and as a Member of 
Congress from Maryland, I am proud to represent a great number of them 
in this House. But for those who believe that most or even a 
significant number of our Federal workers live here in Washington, 
Maryland and Virginia, let me set the record straight. Eighty-five 
percent of Federal employees live and work somewhere other than the 
Washington metropolitan area--85 percent. They provide essential 
services to neighbors and communities in all 50 States and every single 
one of our districts.
  Everything must be on the table when addressing the budget. And by 
the way, I put on the table a zero COLA adjustment 2 years ago sitting 
in the White House around the table, having talked to leaders of our 
Federal employees. I said, look, we need to tighten our belt. Americans 
are having trouble, we have a lot of our neighbors out of work, we need 
to tighten our belt, and we took a zero percent. We have taken it 2 
years in a row, a $60 billion contribution already by Federal 
employees--$60 billion. We say we can't raise a nickel of additional 
taxes from the most well off in America, but we can take $60 billion 
from average working men and women in this country. Everything must be 
on the table.
  I'm deeply disappointed, however, that we continue to attack these 
public servants unfairly and single them out. Now when I say ``we,'' I 
mean the Republican bills that have been offered on this floor and have 
been discussed.
  When middle class families across the country are struggling to make 
ends meet, Federal employees have already accepted a 2-year pay freeze. 
That was appropriate. That was acceptable. But continuing assault on 
just one segment is not. This comes on top of salaries that are already 
lower than those for comparable private-sector jobs. Let me repeat that 
because there is a prejudice that somehow Federal employees are vastly 
overpaid. In fact, the Federal Salary Council's annual report last 
month found that Federal workers are paid, on average, 26.3 percent 
less than comparable private sector jobs.
  Now some people don't understand that because what we ask our Federal 
employees to do requires for the most part high skills. We have a lot 
of engineers, scientists, and doctors at NIH, at Goddard NASA and in 
the FBI, highly skilled, highly educated people, a 26.3 percent 
differential in pay for comparable work that is done in the private 
sector.
  Now most of you who, many of you are sitting there, and perhaps our 
viewers, are saying, oh, no, that's not true, I know it's not true, 
because I see what the average salaries are. What they don't see are 
the average requirements for skills.
  Madam Speaker, America's public servants are already making a 
contribution because they loved this country and recognized that when 
times are tight, everyone--everyone--everyone has to pitch in, even the 
best off in America. A belief in smaller government does not grant one 
license to diminish the contribution made by those who serve in 
government. If we cut government and need less people to run it, that 
makes sense.
  But what does not make sense is to undermine the ability to recruit 
and retain the quality of people that we need to continue to make this 
country, in partnership with the private sector, the greatest country 
on the face of the Earth. We must always remember that we are blessed, 
as Lincoln said, with a government of the people, by the people and for 
the people, that this is us together, the one who serves and the one 
who benefits from that service. It is the bond of a neighbor and that 
of a fellow American. Let us remember that. Yes, we need to tighten the 
belt in a notch. We need to make sure that we are on a fiscally 
sustainable path. But let us do so in a way that has everybody 
contribute, not just an unfavored few who serve us well.

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