On the recordMay 19, 2016
I have the deepest respect for the gentleman from Pennsylvania and for the gentleman who is offering the amendment, but I think that we may be just going a little bit too far here. Mr. Chair, this amendment will restrict the ability of the VA and the departments and related agencies funded in this act to use incentives to get experienced, talented, and capable individuals to take on difficult-to-fill positions. In other departments, they call these hardship posts. These are the jobs no one wants to do but are vital to the function of government. I think we can all agree that there are times when we need to provide incentives to those individuals whom we are asking to fill difficult jobs. At times, we need to take action to make a job more appealing, and sometimes we need to provide incentives to compete with the salaries that are typically paid outside of the Federal Government for some of the positions. I am concerned that this amendment will decrease the availability and quality of candidates possessing the competencies that are required for filling the hard-to-fill posts. We would not run a Fortune 500 company this way. Why are we limiting the ability of the U.S. Government to recruit and hire the best and the brightest? I respectfully urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''
