Danny Davis: “I am very concerned about provisions in this proposal that would grant the Secretary of the Department of Homeland…”

“I am very concerned about provisions in this proposal that would grant the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and the Director of Personnel Management blanket authority to set pay and other conditions of employment without regard to existing civil service rules and protections. As a matter of fact, passage of this bill could in fact diminish or take away hard-won worker rights and protections that it has taken years and years of blood, sweat and tears to achieve. This bill which purports to be a compromise would permit administration officials to completely disregard civil service laws in hiring, firing, promoting and setting pay for more than 170,000 employees from 22 agencies that will make up the new agency. Today these employees are not subject to the whims of agency officials when it comes to their pay promotions and collective bargaining rights, but tomorrow they could be. While this compromise legislation may be a victory for the President, it is a defeat for the men and women who go to work every day to serve and protect their country.”