In late January or early February each year, the President of the United States gives a State of the Union address highlighting accomplishments in the past year and priorities for the year ahead. Understanding the state of our union requires understanding the state of federal agencies which serve as the backbone of our government and provide taxpayer services to the American people.
Despite an increasing workload, most federal agencies saw their workforces reduced during the first year of the Trump administration.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the government shed 16,000 employees in 2017. Due to hostility against the workforce, many employees left the government to work in the private sector. Many retired. Combined with a hiring freeze that’s still in effect at many agencies including the Bureau of Prisons and the State Department, and the administration’s intention to leave thousands of positions unfilled, government offices have been hollowed out. The administration’s job-killing agenda has a real-world impact on the American people who rely on important taxpayer services.
Here are a few examples of the state of our federal agencies:
To pay for a new law giving corporations and the wealthy massive tax cuts, the administration has warned agencies to brace for even deeper cuts in 2019. It’s set to release its 2019 budget proposal on Feb. 12 with individual agencies’ long-term plans to slash the workforce. The president has so far made good on his campaign promise to “cut so much your head will spin."
AFGE applauds the Senate for passing an AFGE-backed bill that would allow law enforcement personnel and first responders to keep their full retirement benefits if they’re injured on the job and return to the federal workforce in another capacity. The bill, which passed the House in July, now heads to President Biden for his signature.
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AFGE and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Nov. 17 signed a new four-year collective bargaining agreement with several new benefits, including expanded telework and remote work as the two parties work together to find a new way to achieve efficiency and work-life balance.
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AFGE endorsed a bill introduced by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., that would promote food safety by hiring additional food safety inspectors and preventing dangerously high line speeds in food inspection.
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