RightChange: CBO Confirms Federal Workers Have Advantages

Wed, February 01, 2012

RightChange has been reporting on the pay gap between federal workers and the private sector since November of 2010. It is refreshing to finally see the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) officially corroborate our claims.

“Earlier today, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a study confirming the differences in compensation between federal government employees and their private-sector counterparts. While millions of Americans continue to struggle with stagnant wages and high unemployment, government bureaucrats in Washington continue to enjoy significant advantages over those whose tax dollars finance their compensation.

Key points from the CBO’s comparison of employee compensation between federal civilian employees and the private sector:

Overall, federal civilian employees receive total compensation that is 16 percent higher than their private-sector counterparts;

Federal civilian employees receive 2 percent more in cash wages than private-sector employees;

The most significant advantage comes in the form of benefits, where federal civilian employees enjoy a 48 percent advantage over their private-sector counterparts.

The CBO study shines a new light on reports of President Obama’s desire to further increase pay for government bureaucrats. By contrast, the U.S. House of Representatives is advancing legislation, authored by Congressman Sean Duffy of Wisconsin, to freeze salaries for federal civilian employees and members of Congress.

If you really want to see where President Obama’s priorities lie, look at the latest cuts to Defense. He is going to ask the men and women of our military to undergo a pay cut at the same time he gives government workers a raise. This is maddening. Especially given the fact that the men and women of our military perform a direct service, which they just happen to also put their lives on the line for.

Obama’s government is rewarded on the backs of the military and our private sector. It is time we tell the highest paid government workers that if everyone else is getting a pay cut, government workers should too.