On the recordMarch 10, 2011
I do. Too often we hear: Let's cut Washington. We don't care if the Federal Government shuts down because it's just a bunch of Federal employees. In fact, only 1 quarter of Federal employees works in the Three-State Region that comprises the Washington Metropolitan Region. The other 75 percent of Federal employees works someplace else. I love this idea of exploring what it is that Federal employees do because I'm often fascinated by the many jobs that they do which provide so many important resources for us: Meteorologists. Well, could we do without meteorologists? Ask the people in California and in these other earthquake zones. In the gentlelady's home State of Hawaii, we need meteorologists in that sector. Aerospace engineers, who are exploring these 21st century new technologies and horizons that are not here on this Earth, who are looking at things like climate and planetary science, they don't make a lot of money. They may have Ph.Ds. An aerospace engineer with a Ph.D., who works for the Federal Government, probably makes about $70,000. Imagine if you translated that skill level into the private sector. So I thank the gentlelady for reminding us of the fact that Federal workers span the spectrum of job skills, and they're in every single State and in every congressional district in this country.
