Maxwell Frost: “Mr. Chairman, the Waxman-Frost amendment preserves the national security flexibility the President needs without…”

“Mr. Chairman, the Waxman-Frost amendment preserves the national security flexibility the President needs without sacrificing the current civil service protections for the new Department. It strikes from the bill a needlessly partisan attack on the civil service system and replaces it with the bipartisan compromise adopted unanimously by the House Committee on Government Reform, the committee with original jurisdiction and expertise on civil service. The Waxman-Frost amendment is essential because the underlying bill and the Quinn amendment just agreed to contain language that actually turns back the clock on important civil service protections. That may be crucial to the ideology of some on the other side of the aisle, but it will harm the effectiveness of the new Department. Throughout this process, Mr. Chairman, some Republican leaders have thrown around attacks on worker protections in current law. The truth is the civil service system protects Americans against a 'spoils' system that would allow politicians to reward their friends and supporters with important government jobs. And it is crucial that the Department of Homeland Security be staffed by professionals, not by the cronies of whichever party happens to hold the White House.”