The first table show wages only. The second includes pensions and health care beneifts.
Posted on 05/23/2017 11:58:43 AM PDT by abb
The Trump administration’s 2018 budget to be released tomorrow will include a range of proposed spending cuts. The budget will call for cuts to food stamps, Medicaid, and other entitlement programs. These reforms come on top of proposed cuts to discretionary programs released in March.
There is more good news. The budget will propose cuts to the fat benefit packages received by federal workers. An April CBO report found that benefits for the government’s civilian workers were 47 percent higher, on average, than for comparable private-sector workers.
One cause of the excess is that federal workers receive both a defined-benefit and defined-contribution pension plan. Pensions and other benefits for the 2.1 million federal civilian workers cost taxpayers about $80 billion a year (excluding postal workers). So federal benefits are a good place in the budget to tap for savings.
The Washington Post reports that the Trump budget will propose these reforms:
Increasing the required worker contribution to defined-benefit (DB) pension plans. Basing DB benefits on the average of the top five salary years rather than the top three. Ending cost of living increases for DB payouts.
These would be reasonable and long-overdue changes. Indeed, a better reform would be to phase out DB benefits for federal workers altogether. After all, just 13 percent of private sector workers even have DB plans. Federal compensation packages should reflect typical packages in the rest of the nation.
The Washington Post said, “The thought of Trump’s assault on federal retirement programs becoming law enrages federal employee leaders.” It certainly does. The paper quotes union leaders calling the proposals an “outrageous attack,” “downright mean,” and “beyond insulting.”
On the contrary, trimming the 47 percent advantage in benefits enjoyed by federal workers is a sensible attack on overspending. Furthermore, it is mean and insulting to taxpayers to give gold-plated pensions to workers inside the government bubble, especially since those favored few also have much higher job security than the rest of us.
The idea is to force as many federal workers into leaving or retiring before the cuts are implemented. It helps drain the swamp.
The first table show wages only. The second includes pensions and health care beneifts.
It will work.
Here is an older article that shows the numbers:
An April CBO report found that benefits for the government’s civilian workers were 47 percent higher, on average, than for comparable private-sector workers...
And how in the Fk is that possible or remotely fair?
When I was young (50-60’s), jobs in the Government didn’t pay nearly what the private sector paid, but the benefits were better. Too many years of Left Governing and the pay has far exceeded the private sector AND the benefits are out of sight. Time to rein in what our Government employees get and let the fair market determine what they are actually worth.
Federal civilian workers truly have a “fat cat” retirement plan, having BOTH defined benefit AND defined contribution plans.
Wow.
No other plan, including our military, comes close, and these people do not make near the sacrifices.
I would assume that would include members of Congress? And how about the President? After all, 100% of salary after a maximum of 8 years work along with fully paid healthcare is far better than the average pension in private industry.
Especially since a very large percentage of them don't do anything but show up once in a while and collect a check.
If the average citizen had any idea what most fedgov "employees" do all day all hell would break loose.
Also, is the CATO Institute also talking about military pensions when they’re calling for cuts? I don’t think most people would agree with that.
Have you taken an look at your state and local government employee bennies? It’s the same story.
It isn’t fair. That’s why it’s so important for their overlords in the Democratic Party to keep up the illusion that government is indispensable to our very lives.
I have worked alongside federales. From what I saw, one in five actually worked. If that.
I see complete imbeciles every day making $75-90 grand that don’t know how to use a computer.
They hired liked crazy too before Hussein left.
“Workers” (management) that have a little something on the ball are getting $120K plus bonuses.
To dream up make work schemes and shuffle paper.
govt employee unions is how (which are a conflict of interest)
Cut government workers and the market will be flooded with unskilled workers to replace the illegal immigrants.
That jibes with my experience in both the state and federal environments. Government job security should come at the cost of lower wages and NO pension; let them save and invest like adults.
I was one of those working quite literally as hard as I could, making up for them.
I was an independent contractor; "Free Lance" is another word for it. So it is by direct knowledge that I challenge your use of the word most.
I worked at almost 20 different agencies, and the vast majority were competent, hard-working, friendly folks.
The more-than-a few "bad apples" were usually protected by someone else; like a politician, friend, lover or even bribes. Just my observations over seventeen years.
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