Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I rise in support of the budget resolution and appreciate that important language has been included in the report of…”

“I rise in support of the budget resolution and appreciate that important language has been included in the report of this bill and in the Senate bill regarding the search for alternatives for pay raises for Federal employees. But what brings me to the floor is a much more important subject and that is the $105 billion that goes to Federal contractors that is largely unaccountable to us. There is an indefensible distinction that we make between two sets of employees paid with Federal funds. There are civil servants who annually get pay cuts and then there are Federal contractors who have gotten no cuts of any kind. This year we had $1.1 billion for raises that will cost $2.7 billion. Mr. Speaker, allowing cuts in benefits annually is contrary to good management practice. What the private sector does is to make whatever cuts or buyouts it is going to do and give small increments, and that is all it would be, to the remaining employees. Mr. Speaker, there is an important issue far beyond these raises, and that is getting a hold of runaway contracting costs. Mr. Speaker, $105 billion is a nice piece of change. Leon Panetta said early in the term that we do not know it is being spent. Yet OMB recommended no cuts in this $105 billion this year. Mr. Speaker, do we know how much health care just a chunk of that money would buy? This Congress needs to find the methodology and the will to look beyond our direct expenditures to Federal contractors.”