The Hypocrisy Really Doesn't Surprise Me

I was against President Obama freezing federal pay for a few reasons. First, it's merely a symbolic gesture that I think will do more harm than good. The freeze is expected to save $2 billion in fiscal year 2011, $28 billion over the next five years, and more than $60 billion over the next 10 years. Compared to federal spending as a whole, this is a mere drop in the bucket. Furthermore, that is billions of dollars that will not be pumped into the economy by federal employees' spending, with the DC Metro region as a whole hit the hardest. Second, the pay freeze unfairly targets federal employees. John Gage, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, points out, "This is no time for scapegoating. The American people didn't vote to stick it to a [Veterans Affairs Department] nursing assistant making $28,000 a year or a Border Patrol agent earning $34,000 per year." I won't even get into the my thoughts on the pay disparity between federal government workers and private workers. I will point out that my friend Stephen Losey does a great job covering the issue at the Federal Times Blog, with some examples on this issue here and here.

Of course, Republicans are so concerned about federal pay that they also froze the pay of their own staff. Or not. According to Daily Kos:

Overall, congressional payroll expenses have climbed much faster than the civilian federal work force costs that lawmakers are now clamoring to freeze. Many of the most vocal federal critics have overseen growth that rivals or outstrips the executive branch's, according to data from Legistorm, a website that tracks congressional salaries. For example:

• Firebrand Republican Michele Bachmann of Minnesota has for months pushed legislation to freeze what she calls "unconscionable" federal salaries. Meanwhile, her own payroll jumped 16 percent between 2007, when she came to Congress, and 2009.

• Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the Utah Republican set to chair the House subcommittee overseeing the federal work force, says Washington must "figure out how to do more with less." But the freshman lawmaker gave his own employees an average raise of about 9 percent this year.

• Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who has long criticized federal pay, has overseen an average jump of 8 percent per year in his office employee costs between 2006, his first full year in the Senate, and 2009.

Not to be outdone, incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor had his payroll go up by 81 percent since taking office in 2001 -- an average increase of 8 percent per year.

Of course, Representative Chaffetz thinks federal employees should suffer even more: Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said Congress should pass a bill temporarily canceling General Schedule employees' step increases. Never mind that his employees must not factor into the federal budget or for some reason should be exempt from his crusade to penalize federal employees. If these Republican lawmakers are serious about reducing the federal deficit, which they are not, by reducing federal salaries, they should start with themselves (most Members of Congress are millionaires) and their staffs.