AFGE President says cuts could leave some agencies with not enough people to do the work

WASHINGTON – J. David Cox Sr., national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, issued the following statement in response President Trump’s proposed fiscal 2018 budget:

“I am greatly concerned about reports that President Trump will propose massive cuts to most non-defense discretionary spending to fund a substantial increase in military spending. While we support increases in DoD funding that enhance readiness, there is no reason to eviscerate the non-defense agencies to achieve that goal.

“Many of the federal agencies that would be targeted by these budget cuts already have been cut to the bone this decade as a result of harmful austerity policies. Americans see firsthand the result of these budget cuts when they have to wait in longer lines to visit a Social Security office or go through airport security screening.

“Further cuts could leave some agencies with not enough employees to do the work that’s required, forcing them in some cases to outsource the work to more costly contractors – negating any of the financial benefit from the cuts in the first place.

“The federal government today has about the same number of civilian workers as it did 50 years ago, even as the U.S. population has increased by more than half. Anyone who complains that the government is too big is either ill-informed or using alternative facts to support doing away with many of the fine federal programs that benefit taxpayers.”