February 19, 2013

If Members of Congress fail to act, on March 1 sequestration will go into effect. This means $85 billion in across-the-board cuts for the first year, furloughs of federal employees, and delays of services to the American public. Federal Managers Association (FMA) National President Patricia Niehaus wrote to lawmakers on February 13 expressing FMA’s deep concerns on sequestration and the effects it will have. The threat of sequestration has been present for more than a year, and multiple agency heads have warned about the negative impact of sequestration. Yet Members of Congress have not developed a plan to avoid these cuts.

Federal Managers Association (FMA) members and all federal employees continue to face a challenging environment on Capitol Hill. Despite the extraordinary sacrifices federal employees have already made in the name of deficit reduction – far more than any other group – these same employees remain prime targets for further sacrifice. In response, the FMA National Office – in consultation with the Executive Board, chapter leaders and Members-at-Large – has developed our 2013 legislative agenda.

Closely following party lines, on February 15, the House of Representatives voted in favor of H.R. 273, by 261 to 154. H.R. 273 calls for an extension of the federal pay freeze through December 2013. This bill negates an Executive Order issued by President Barack Obama, E.O. 13633, which provides a pay raise of 0.5 percent to federal workers after March 27, 2013. Additionally, the bill freezes Members of Congress’ pay as well, making this bill politically motivated. If Representatives voted in favor of the bill, it would be seen as a means to curb their salary and the national deficit; if they voted against it, it would be seen as a vote for their own pay raise.

Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, military branch leaders urged Senators to avoid sequestration before cuts are set to take effect on March 1. They further warned of utilizing a continuing resolution (CR) in lieu of developing a budget through the appropriate appropriations process. The February 12 hearing, conducted by Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-Okla.), included testimony from Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defense (DOD) Ashton Carter, United States Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh III, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey, Commandant of the Marine Corps General James Amos, and Chief of the National Guard Bureau General Frank Grass. Leaders of the military branches urged Senators to avoid these fiscal downfalls for the good of the nation. Cuts from sequestration and the use of a CR would limit the ability of the country’s defense system.

With sequestration set to take place in March 2013, the Senate Appropriations Committee called upon various leaders of federal agencies for a better understanding of how the $85 billion cuts through the remainder of the fiscal year will affect their missions and goals, as well as the public they serve. On February 14, Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the committee, presided over the hearing. Daniel Werfel, Federal Controller of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); Arne Duncan, Secretary of the Department of Education; Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; and, Ashton Carter, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defense provided testimony. 

As a means to avoid sequestration, Republican members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees recently introduced legislation calling for reductions in the federal workforce. Representative Buck McKeon (R-Cali.) and Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), the lead sponsors of the bills, call for workforce reductions in the Down Payment to Protect National Security Act (H.R. 593/S. 263). Under the legislation, for every three employee that leave the civil service, federal agencies will only replace one. According to Senator Ayotte, this would result in $85 billion in savings. 

On February 8, Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Representative Frank Wolf (R-Va.) gave praise to federal workers on separate occasions. Both Members of Congress called for greater recognition of federal workers and the work they do on a daily basis for their fellow Americans. Federal employees are under seeming constant criticism against their livelihoods. With sequestration impending in March, lawmakers have been looking where cuts can be taken to avoid across-the-board cuts. While the civil service has already contributed over $100 billion in deficit reduction, Members of the House and Senate have called for further sacrifices from the federal workforce.

Not only will does sequestration impose the threat of furloughs, federal employees are also threatened by the fact that Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) contributions will not be made or will be reduced. If Congress cannot develop a solution to avoid the across-the-board cuts as called for in sequestration, federal employees can face furloughs as early as mid-April and reduced budgets for departments. As a result, the TSP advisory board commented that investors who are put on unpaid leave will not receive the same contributions they received before the furlough.

The Federal Managers Association (FMA) is proud to announce the 75th annual National Convention and Management Training Seminar, A Century of Dedicated Service to America, will take place March 3-6, 2013. The event will be held at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in the heart of Washington, D.C., and will honor FMA’s 100 years of dedicated service to America with a special Anniversary Gala on March 6.

One of the many benefits of your Federal Managers Association (FMA) membership is a chance to win a FMA-Federal Employee and Education Assistance Fund (FEEA) Scholarship. Every year, FMA members and their families win educational scholarships that assist with the costs of obtaining an education. In addition to the FMA Scholarship, applicants are also entered into FEEA's general scholarship competition as well, giving you two opportunities to apply for scholarships with just one application. Also, grandchildren of FMA members now qualify to apply for an FMA Scholarship. Please take advantage of this outstanding membership benefit!