May 1-7 is Public Service Recognition Week. We honor the sacrifices made by government workers over the last two years as they put their health and safety on the line to keep essential government services running for the American people during a deadly pandemic.
As the largest federal employee union in the country, AFGE is proud to represent our nation’s federal and D.C. government workforce. It’s hard to imagine the country without these brave, dedicated men and women who work hard, mostly behind the scenes, every single day to ensure our country’s safety and prosperity.
To recognize and honor government workers during this Public Service Recognition Week, here are some of the amazing things they’ve done to make life easier for all of us:
- The Department of Veterans Affairs provides care to more than 9 million veterans at 1,293 health care facilities, including 171 VA Medical Centers and 1,112 outpatient clinics.
- 69.1 million people received benefits from programs administered by the Social Security Administration in 2019.
- The Bureau of Prisons protects public safety. It’s currently responsible for the custody and care of 153,053 federal inmates.
- The Department of Defense ensures our nation’s security with facilities in more than 160 countries.
- The Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards continue to improve air quality for hundreds of thousands of people. These new standards will avert up to 11,000 premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks and 130,000 asthma attacks every year.
- The Transportation Security Administration protects air travelers. TSA officers screen approximately 2 million passengers per day.
- The National Park Service administers 423 national park sites, including 63 national parks across the country. In 2020, nearly 240 million people visited National Park Service sites in the U.S.
- Before the pandemic in 2019, more than 22 million people visited the Smithsonian museums – the world's largest museum, education, and research complex. Smithsonian museums are federally funded and administered, giving free access to education for all.
- In 2020, nearly 5,000 people died from work-related injuries. The number would have been a lot higher without the rules and regulations to protect workers by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
- In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, FEMA provided over $41.7 billion in COVID-19-related unemployment assistance to residents of 54 States and territories. The agency also organized the largest supply chain mission in FEMA history with 249 Project Airbridge flights that sped more than 1.1 billion pieces of PPE and medical supplies to Americans in need throughout the U.S.
- CDC’s guidelines for preventing infections in healthcare facilities save 4,500 lives each year (and $3.3 billion). Regular childhood vaccinations recommended by the agency prevent 20 million cases of disease, avert 42,000 deaths, and save nearly $70 billion.
- The Department of Education's elementary and secondary programs serve nearly 18,200 school districts and over 50 million students annually.
- U.S. Border Patrol is responsible for preventing the illegal movement of people and contraband along more than 5,000 miles of border with Canada, 1,900 miles of border with Mexico, and approximately 95,000 miles of shoreline.
- The Food Safety and Inspection Service condemned 254,787 cows and 10.7 million birds during the 2021 fiscal year alone, keeping food safe for consumers.
