See below for video and a few highlights of Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine speaking yesterday in support of a professional, non-politicized federal workforce. As a press release from Sen. Kaine explained:
“U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner (both D-VA), alongside U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), spoke on the Senate floor and pushed for a unanimous consent agreement in the Senate to pass the Saving the Civil Service Act, legislation led by Kaine to prevent any position in the federal civil service from being reclassified outside of merit system principles without the express consent of Congress. The agreement was blocked by Senate Republicans. The senators’ push comes as President-elect Trump plans to reinstate and expand Schedule F, a classification of federal workers that would make it easier for any administration to hire political loyalists and fire qualified experts.”
Unfortunately, that federal workforce is about to come under sustained, vicious assault by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress. It’s going to be a really, REALLY rocky next few years for federal employees – and for our country.
P.S. Of course, Republicans being Republicans, they blocked Kaine et al in their last-ditch effort “to insulate the federal workforce from President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to reinstate Schedule F and strip tens of thousands of employees of their civil service protections.”
Sen. Tim Kaine: “[Federal workers] work to ensure critical resources and services are provided in countless communities across America. They work to keep Social Security up and running, manage veterans’ benefits, research medical diseases, and develop cures and vaccines…Our nation has recognized the value of a non-partisan and merit-based system to carry out federal government functions. Having a dedicated civil service based on merit rather than political loyalties is in the best interest of everyone. It not only promotes professionalism and reduces cronyism, it also promotes stability…There have been attempts in recent years to erode the independence of the federal civil service… I’m here on the floor where I will – in a minute – request Senate passage of the Saving the Civil Service Act. This bill upholds the merit system principles to ensure that the federal government is equipped with the most qualified and experienced individuals.”
Sen. Mark Warner: “One of the great strengths of our democracy is that we have an independent, merit-based civil service… The vast majority of federal workers that I interact with, most could have done better in the private sector…They do this work because of this sense of public service. You get rid of a merit-based system and do it all for political patronage – who would join that kind of government?”
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
