AFGE Responds to House Gop Budget Proposal

WASHINGTON – American Federation of Government Employees National President John Gage today issued the following statement in response to the 2013 budget plan introduced by House Republicans:

“The House GOP budget, proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan, proposes a staggering $368 billion in additional federal workforce cuts over the next 10 years. Federal employees would have their salaries frozen for another three years and would face massive cuts to the retirement benefits promised when they were hired. In addition, the federal workforce would be cut by 10 percent, jeopardizing the federal programs and services every American relies on.

“Meanwhile, the Republican budget would deliver more tax breaks to the millionaires and billionaires, oil companies and Wall Street firms who continue to score record profits while the rest of the country struggles to recover. American companies would receive lucrative new tax incentives to move jobs overseas, worsening the employment prospects of the nearly 13 million Americans who remain out of work. The Ryan budget lowers the tax rate for millionaires and billionaires even further while slashing programs like Medicare and Medicaid. The budget plan would transfer even greater wealth to the 1%, making them even richer, while attacking the economic future for the middle class and poor. If approved, it will undermine the creation of good jobs needed to put Americans back to work.

“Federal employees already have had their pay frozen for two consecutive years, an unprecedented action that will save the government $60 billion over 10 years. And new federal employees will pay four times as much in retirement contributions, saving taxpayers an additional $15 billion. That’s a total of $75 billion in savings.

“It is fundamentally wrong for federal employees to be required, yet again, to serve as the Automated Teller Machine for the nation. Enough is enough.”

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The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia. For the latest AFGE news and information, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.