Hoyer Energizes Federal Employees on Capitol Hill

Hoyer Energizes Federal Employees on Capitol Hill

Talks with National League of Postmasters and AFGE Today

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) today met with two of the leading organizations representing Federal Employees on Capitol Hill. This morning, he met with the National League of Postmasters and had breakfast with more than 200 of their members including league president Steve LeNoir and Joe Cooper from the 5th Congressional District. Later today, he attended the AFGE Congressional Reception which is part of AFGE's week-long 2005 Legislative and Grassroots Mobilization Conference. More than 700 members of AFGE, including national vice presidents, council presidents and local presidents from across the country are in Washington this week, and Congressman Hoyer addressed the group this evening.

"Civil servants are the engine that moves us forward as a nation. The dedicated men and women who serve the public work hard to maintain our quality of life," said Congressman Hoyer. "Quite frankly, these are not the friendliest of times for federal civilian employees and I will do everything I can in Congress to make sure your interests are heard."

Yesterday the Administration released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2006 which included a 3.1 % annual salary adjustment for the military and a 2.3% adjustment for federal civilian employees in 2006.

"I am very pleased the President has included a fair pay adjustment for the brave men and women of the armed services, yet his failure to equally recognize the hard work of America's civilian federal employees by proposing the same pay adjustment is unacceptable," Hoyer added. "For all the lip service this Administration pays to fiscal responsibility and efficient government, it continually fails to understand that recruiting and retaining the best federal employees is an important part of making sure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and carefully.

"Furthermore, we must fight - and defeat - the Bush Administration's misguided and reckless proposal to gut the civil service system. I am particularly troubled by the new personnel regulations at the Department of Homeland Security that the Administration wants to extend government-wide.

"We must resist this Administration's efforts to weaken basic employee rights and civil service protections. These rights and protections are all we have to ensure your work is compensated fairly and performed in a professional, non-partisan manner.

"The best way to deliver public services efficiently and save taxpayer money is to attract and retain the best and brightest to government service. I will continue to deliver this message to the White House and this Congress and with your energy, we can succeed," Hoyer told the groups.

http://www.hoyer.house.gov/issues2.cfm?id=10068