September 10, 2018

Respecting Workers

It was a busy district work period in Washington state. Throughout the month of August, I met with folks in nearly every nook and cranny of our region.   

Following Labor Day weekend, Congress went back into session.  (You wouldn’t know that summer is over based on the weather ... Last week in DC was filled with 90-degree days with 75% humidity).   

I’m looking forward to a busy Fall ... while the Seahawks season isn’t off to a great start, I’m hopeful things will turn around.

Working for Us

If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, you know that I usually end it with a section called “Working for You,” where I share what I’ve been up to for the last couple of weeks. 

But the truth is, our region is full of public servants who quietly work for us every day. The folks throughout our region laboring at the Naval shipyard, managing our federal forests, guiding visitors through our National Parks, caring for our veterans and servicing our submarines are doing a lot for our nation and for our region’s economy.

When I’m in Washington, DC it often surprises people when I tell them that the federal government is the largest employer in our neck of the woods. But that fact keeps me focused on what’s at stake in many of the decisions that happen in Congress and at the White House. 

Just before Labor Day weekend, President Trump decided to freeze the pay for our federal workers who were set to receive a modest cost of living adjustment in January. The president’s rationale was that the government couldn’t afford it. 

I’m all for getting our nation’s finances in order. But, nickel-and-diming the hardworking people who serve us is the wrong way to do it, and it’s a disservice to the hard work they do. It also seems a little misguided coming after the president signed into law a tax plan, which the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center says gives the largest benefits to the country’s wealthiest households and raises the federal debt by trillions of dollars.

Cancelling federal pay raises is bad for our federal workers and their families. It is also bad for jobs and small businesses in our community, because it means the people who live here have less money to spend here.

I’m going to continue pushing back against the notion that the problem with the federal government is the people who work in government. I think that’s misguided. And there’s still an opportunity to restore the raises in a federal spending bill Congress is gearing up to debate (more on that in a second).

I had the opportunity to speak about this issue on the floor of the House last week. You can watch my remarks below. 

More broadly, the jobs and opportunities the federal presence in our region creates is one of the big reasons I’m working so hard to fix our parks, modernize our forest practices and protect the shipyard and the people who work there from bad decisions in Washington, DC.

For example, earlier this year I helped repeal a change to the federal per diem rules that caused federal workers to pay more out of their own pocket for business expenses when they’re assigned to travel for work. I also blocked changes that would mean shipyard workers sent to Japan to service our aircraft carriers wouldn’t receive overtime when they work overtime.

It’s why I introduced The Federal Retirement Fairness Act after a group of shipyard workers came to me with a problem. A member of the group, Allen Hodge said he’s worked as a painter at the shipyard since 1989. He started out 28 years ago as a temporary employee, and the government converted him to a permanent position five years later. He’s now in his mid-fifties, and he told me he was starting to plan for 2020 when he will hit the 30 years of public service required for federal employees to retire with full benefits. He got a nasty surprise - those first five years he worked didn’t count toward the required 30 years. So now, he has to make a choice - either retire without the benefits that are commensurate with his experience and which he’s been counting on, or risk his health working five more years in a physically demanding job.The bipartisan bill I introduced would give federal workers like Allen the chance to pay into the pension program for those temporary years. If the bill passes, it means Allen can retire on time and with the same benefits as everyone else who has worked as long as he has.

I’m going to keep fighting for the people working for us, and for our region’s economy. 

 Another Month, Another Threat of a Shutdown

There are a lot of headaches when Uncle Sam runs the Human Resources department.

But nothing is more frustrating for federal workers than getting furlough notices because Congress can’t do its most fundamental job - funding the government.

Congress must pass a spending bill by the end of this month. That means that, as the end of September approaches, the nation is once again faced with the threat of a government shutdown because the country’s leaders don’t want to work in a bipartisan way.  

This week, the House will likely pass a funding bill that covers some of the government functions. I’m hopeful that, in the coming weeks, Congress will work on a bipartisan plan rather than trying to score political points at the expense of our region’s economy and the hardworking people within it.

As you may recall, I’ve sponsored a bill called No Budget, No Pay. Quite simply, if members of Congress don’t do their job and pass a budget, they shouldn’t get paid.

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