From the office of U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski:
Mikulski Puts Measures Prohibiting A-76 Contracting-out and Arbitrary Cuts and Freezes into FY2014 Financial Services Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that the fiscal year 2014 Financial Services Appropriations Bill approved by the full Appropriations Committee includes safeguards she fought for that would help level the playing field for federal employees.
“Whenever deficit reduction comes up, federal employees are the first to take a hit,” Senator Mikulski said. “They are the targets of unending attacks. Downsizing and RIFs. Diet COLAs and contracting-out. Furloughs and shutdowns. Today federal employees are continuing to work under a pay freeze and bills continue to be introduced slashing the federal workforce without asking what services will be lost. By standing up to arbitrary cuts and freezes, we will level the playing field for hardworking federal employees.”
Senator Mikulski put language in the bill to:
· Continue a government-wide suspension of new A-76 contracting-out;
· Direct agencies to identify wrongly-outsourced work and bring it back in-house;
· Prevent the work of federal employees from being outsourced without comparing the cost of federal employees and contractors; and
· Prohibit arbitrary freezes or cuts to the size of the federal workforce by requiring agencies to manage workload based on available funds and workforce necessary to carry out the agencies’ missions and functions.
“I’m proud of the work that we’ve done for our federal employees, but the job isn’t over,” Senator Mikulski said. “Continuing efforts to prevent outsourcing and contracting-out is important both for American taxpayers and our federal employees.”
In the next step of the appropriations process, the bill will move to the Senate floor for a vote, which has not yet been scheduled.
paging Mr.Porter
blowhard. all wind. empty walllets.
What in the f is she talking about…”bring back wrongly outsourced work”? God forbid somebody found a way to save the taxpayers some money by contracting out some services. That woman is a human waste of space. She thinks that the people of MD, VA, or DC aren’t fully aware of what goes on in government? These are our neighbors, people we interact with. In one case I know first hand a support agency for the defense department schedules meetings in Madrid, S. Florida (always in winter), Buenos Aires…why? That’s right they’re all in DC and surrounds but everybody catches a flight to Madrid so they can have a meeting. Federal agencies are out of control. Has she not been watching the IRS hearings?
How about giving contract employees the keys to a complete facility with little or no government oversight or involvement? Where’s the corporate memory if you give it all to the contractor? When you have contract employees that are plug and play with civilians, they are performing services for a civilian supervisor who should have no say in how much they get paid or where they should be working,. That is called “Personal Services”. And you the taxpayer are paying more for a contract employee and his management and their benefits and corporate profit than you are paying for your civilian workforce. Look it up for yourself. It’s positively criminal how a few narrow minded people who believe the private sector can do things better and cheaper and with more responsibility have given away the store.
Interesting how all the fed comments dry up on a furlough day.
Do these guys only post from work?
It’s a fact that contractors cost more than civilian employees. So contracting out services is not cheaper. None the less, a lot of services are contracted out! Aside from the IRS and GSA nonsense, I have never heard of any of the nonsense of which you speak about Madrid, etc. Also, I guran-f-ing-tee you that isn’t going on. There is NO travel going on in the DOD unless it is mission essential and can not be accomplished via VTC or telecon. That’s how it should stay, too.
Mission essential is a pretty grey area and I assure you it’s true.
In our organization it’s not gray. No one is going anywhere unless it is to conduct training for deploying soldiers. And then it is just one person sent to do a job that needs at least two to be the most effective.
I’m sure there are some sub-agencies within the larger agency (defense dept) that are run as tight ships and where nobody gets away with anything but there are some others where apparently there’s little oversight. It may be that the real abuse occurs at higher levels as I know this gentleman with the Madrid meetings was fairly high up the chain. That doesn’t mean that the location of these meetings was any more or less necessary and location not chosen just because it’s nice in Madrid a certain time of year.
There is virtually no travel going on and conference attendance/travel is virtually zero. Things have changed a lot in the DoD. But it is true, a contractor workyear cost at least 2 times and sometimes more than that when compared to a civilian salary + benefits.
The other advantage is that it can take months for the government to hire a new employee, while the on-site contractor can bring in 5 more experienced, subject-matter-expert employees next week (with a contract mod to increase the man-hours and ceiling to come in a few weeks). When the work is done, the contractors just walk away from the effort, but the government would be stuck with the employees.
Edward Snowden, Booze Hamilton.
just sayin.
In some cases contracting out services might not make sense but in some cases it absolutely does – not every government job requires a secret handshake.
And PFC Bradley Manning. Too much classified information in the hands of the wrong people all around.
“What in the f is she talking about…”bring back wrongly outsourced work”? God forbid somebody found a way to save the taxpayers some money by contracting out some services.”
Mikulski fighting for jobs to stay in the U.S?? Who the heck does she think she is?!
Your defense of outsourcing is probably one of the most ridiculous things I have read on this page (and believe me, that’s quite a feat). The contract mismanagement you speak of has little to do with outsourcing and more to do with the bidding process. It’s called cronyism and it happens all the time. The only reason to outsource is so that you can get the most bang for your federal buck (which is then used for personal vacations to Madrid, but that’s okay because that money was ‘earned’ right?). Personally, I’d prefer those bucks stay in our economy but I guess that’s just my silly liberal-communist sensibilities showing.
Say what you will about the way things used to work in Congress but Mikulski has fought and will continue to fight for the betterment of our state AS A WHOLE. You blowhards would protest your own paychecks if you thought a Democrat was somehow involved. Come back to reality will you? All of these silly claims, outsourcing being good for the economy, lower taxes creating jobs, there is zero historical evidence supporting any of this and yet you all blindly march forward because some dimwit with a flag pin can use the word Patriot in a sentence.
I think she is discussing “outsourcing” in terms of contracting out inherently government roles/responsibilities to big contracting firms. Not “outsourcing” in terms of sending jobs overseas.
Amazing how the poor federal workers need defending. How about the rest of us local gov’t workers. Who has got our backs? The federal work force is the group that raises our estimated annual incomes to $78k statewide, making us the richest state in the union………B/S. Poor federal employees, boo hoo.
Everyone knows local workers are lazy, which is seen every time you pass a road crew with one guy shoveling and four others drinking coffee. As for feds I think a lot of them probably have advanced degrees and do high-level R&D to protect the country. Local workers just protect their donuts.
You imply people with advanced degrees cannot be lazy.
I beg to differ.
Once you get settled into that comfy secure position the temptation to do less is quite high.
Do the least for the most is a regular competition among my coworkers.
Sad but true.
Remember that Ms. Mikulski herself is a Federal worker. One of the many, many who are exempt from Obamacare. And I still haven’t heard how many folks in her office were required to take unpaid days off because of sequestration.
Somehow those who can’t do their jobs to pass a budget are exempt.
Alex, You ask how many people in Senator Mikulski’s office were furloughed? The elite are not subject to furlough, Alex. Only those people down in the trenches who do the real work. The elite are exempt from furlough. And from Obamacare, etc.
Silly boy! You have quoted Mr. Orwell often. There are the equal animals, of course, but then there are the MORE EQUAL ANIMALS. They have nice offices in the Capitol and the White House.
Liberal mindset –
#1 make promises you cannot keep
#2 spend money you don’t have
#3 tax working people for everything under the sun
#4 keep poor people on the government teat
#5 keep paying unions huge contracts and salaries so they pump millions back into democrat candidate’s pockets
When money runs out
#1 blame republicans
#2 tell poor people that republicans are taking your entitlements
#3 use agencies like the IRS, DOJ & homeland security to further your political agenda
#4 tell people republicans want to have dirty air and water
When all else fails
#1 blame bush
#2 blame banks, atm machines, global warming, doctors, oil companies
#3 give amnesty, driver’s licenses and benefits to 11 million illegals who 80% vote democrat
#4 tell people democrats want to give free healthcare, unlimited unemployment benefits, food stamps, welfare and Obama phones to everyone and republicans want to taken them away from you
#5 raise the debt ceiling
#6 borrow more from china
#7 buy billions of rounds of ammo and weapons to enact marshal law
#8 raise taxes
“Martial law,” btw.
You forgot expand your constituency by declaring all illegal aliens to be legal, giving them a driver’s license and a voting card, and in state tuition, and a ride to the polls so they can vote for you.
Ma, Luther has been drinking the republican Kool Aid again!!!
Rather then bash the guy and call him names, why dont you attempt to refute what he is saying? Oh wait, you probably cant do that
Perhaps ifs this spend-a-holic gasbag would stop voting on bills that gives our money to every douchebag and moronic spending program in the universe, we would have some money to pay these workers. Mr. Mikulski (hee hee), its time for you to get the fuck out of my wallet.
David Porter must be sequestered. He has no access to a federal computer!!! LOL!!!!
I understand that Mikulski will be profiled as a Lesbian Troll in an upcoming childrens book..
That’s what happens when you make your start in politics fighting over (under?) a bridge on the JFX.
Robin, Please let me assure you that Senator Mikulski is not a troll.
Is it possible that Senator Mikulski is secretly exchanging texts with Anthony Weiner? No, wait, forget I even suggested it.
Mikulski doesn’t like Weiner.
But he wants to be just like her if he ever grows up.