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Federal News Radio
Feds as cheap
(easy?) dates
By Mike Causey
March 25, 2016
Politicians anxious to court federal workers and retirees have an
inexpensive way to do it:
Ignore them for as long as possible. Then when a really big election
year (presidential and congressional) rolls around, like now, get busy.
Propose a big pay raise that will get lots of attention without any
hope of actually getting to second base. Or maybe even first.
No harm. No foul.
It’s the thought the pols hope, that counts.
Like now.
After supporting or going quiet on the 3- year federal pay raise
freeze, Democrats in Congress are now leading the charge for a 5.3
percent raise in January 2017. They say the 1.6 percent recommended by
President Barack Obama in his final budget is too little, too late. And
that the 1.3 percent feds finally got this year is almost insulting.
Some of the last-minute pay converts are sincere. Rep. Gerry Connolly
(D-Va.) has consistently supported higher pay for his fed-packed
district. So have Maryland’s retiring Democratic SenatorBarbara
Mikulski and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). And Rep. Chris
Van Hollen (D-Md.). Again from the Maryland suburbs. But many of the
Democrats who now said feds must have a decent and long-overdue pay
raise were AWOL when the White House proposed a 2-year freeze (and
sequestration) and Congress stretched it to 3 years.
The upside of the Mission Impossible 5.3 percent federal pay proposal
for 2017 is that it will (they hope) make Republican candidates (who
really don’t need any help) look less attractive to fed family voters.
Most of them, also preoccupied with reelection and either holding or
taking the House and Senate, have ceased knocking feds, and their pay
and benefits, for the duration of this campaign.
There is no evidence that federal workers vote as a bloc…
Read the rest of the article at Federal News Radio
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