Newsletter Feb 24, 2010
Just The Facts, Part 2
Dear Supporter,
I want to thank everyone for all of the comments I received last week in response to my first “Just the Facts” newsletter. I am greatly encouraged that so many Oklahomans are actively sharing this information with their friends and neighbors. The word is spreading.
This week, I will focus on the rapid growth of federal agencies, federal employment, and the resulting inefficiencies created by this growth.
To better picture the results of overspending and the unwillingness of Congress to do oversight of federal agencies, consider the following:
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The federal government now has 2.7 million civilian federal employees.
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The average annual salary for a full time federal employee is $74,403 (2009).
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According to a recent news analysis of federal employment data during the current recession, the number of federal employees earning more than $100,000 has risen by 46 percent, the number making more than $150,000 is up by 119 percent, and the number earning more than $170,000 grew 93 percent.
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From 2001-2007, a comprehensive review of federal employees revealed that 18 federal agencies had logged 19.6 million absent-without-leave (AWOL) employee hours. An estimated 300,000 federal employees were classified as AWOL during this period, with the incidence of AWOL employees growing by 45 percent from 2001 to 2007.
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For the most recent five-year period examined by Congress, federal agencies spent $1.4 billion attending conferences, oftentimes in hot vacation spots like Las Vegas, Orlando and Hawaii. In one year alone, nearly 21,000 Department of Agriculture employees visited more than 6,700 “conference and training” activities around the world. Between 2005 and 2007, the Department of Homeland Security sent employees to more than 8,000 conferences at a cost of $110 million.
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Official estimates indicate that $68 million is lost each year as federal employees nearing retirement use up sick leave time.
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In its “13 Careers for the Next Decade” feature, Kiplinger’s magazine encourages its readers to pursue federal government management positions, noting it will be “the largest source of new jobs” with an expected 300,000 hires over the next two years alone.
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In estimating federal employment trends, the non-partisan Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a 19.5 percent increase in the number of tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents over the next decade.
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While the BLS forecasts a 1.3 percent drop in the need for economists within the federal government over the next ten years, it expects to see an 8.6 percent rise in the number of lawyers employed by federal agencies.
How did we end up with a federal bureaucracy we can no longer afford?
The gross inefficiencies we see in the federal government persist in large part
because Congress is rarely looking. Several of the facts you just read (AWOL, Conference Spending, and Employee Sick Leave) came to light during investigations I launched either as Chairman of the Federal Financial Management (FFM) Subcommittee, or as Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI).
Federal agencies that know they are being watched behave much differently. For instance, the investigation I launched on agency conference and travel spending has led to important common sense reforms initiated by the agencies themselves. Many of these reforms are already saving money and resulting in greater efficiency.
We have many good and dedicated public servants within the federal bureaucracy whose efforts are being overshadowed by the inefficiencies that Congress allows to continue.
Congress plays a central role in appropriating our tax dollars.
It also has an obligation to see that our money is spent wisely.
Keep spreading the word!
Sincerely,
Tom A. Coburn, MD