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Obama to Freeze Feds' Pay

Aims to cut deficit with 2-year move

By the Associated Press

Posted Nov 29, 2010 10:38 AM CST

(AP) – President Obama is set to announce a 2-year pay freeze for federal employees that the White House says is necessary to put the country on sound fiscal footing. The White House said today that the freeze would apply to all civilian federal employees, including those working at the Department of Defense, but would not affect military personnel.

The freeze will save $2 billion during fiscal year 2011, according to the White House. The chairman of Obama's bipartisan deficit commission has proposed a 3-year freeze in pay for most federal employees as part of its plan to reduce the nation's growing deficit. The commission's final report is due to be released later this week.

President Barack Obama speaks about the recovery of the U.S. auto industry, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, at Chrysler's Indiana Transmission Plant II in Kokomo, Ind.
President Barack Obama speaks about the recovery of the U.S. auto industry, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, at Chrysler's Indiana Transmission Plant II in Kokomo, Ind.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 68 comments
Deleted
Nov 29, 2010 7:22 PM CST
The freeze is more like protecting federal employees from cuts. The number of federal government employees making $150,000 or more has doubled under Obama. But the problem is not limited to the last two years. USA Today - using data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Data - reported that in the past five years the number of employees earning over $150,000 has grown from 7,420 to 82,034, and the number earning over $180,000 has grown from 805 to 16,912. So now in addition to far greater security than the private sector, federal government employees get better pay and benefits.
atbo
Nov 29, 2010 7:01 PM CST
It's possible some of the animosity towards government employees stems from the shenanigans that were uncovered after the gulf oil spill, i.e. the government employees that were supposed to be regulating the oil industry were, uh, partying with said oil industry employees. And by partying I mean sex and cocaine. Granted, this was only one government department, but I remember all kinds of stuff that came out under bush, something about a list of items and services purchased with tax money and the items and services were all personal. Or maybe the guy who had so much porn on his laptop he had to copy it to cd's and had boxes and boxes of porn on cd in his office. I think these are the types of things that really PISS OFF us non-government working Americans.
atbo
Nov 29, 2010 6:52 PM CST
I hope this extends to the House and Senate, otherwise there is no point. Like zdaydream said, funny how when the country finally does something about the deficit, they screw the people who effect it the least.

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federal employees • budget deficit • President Obama • salary freeze

 
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