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President of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Matt Biggs, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the proposed federal budget cuts for the 2024 Fiscal Year and its potential impact on many programs.
A recent proposal in the U.S. Congress calls for potential budget cuts that Biggs referred to as “Draconian” in nature. He believes the result of the proposed cuts would create a budget similar to that of fiscal year 2015, a move he believes our current economy wouldn’t be able to handle.
The proposed cuts would impact many assistance programs according to Biggs. Social Security field offices would face cuts to the available workers. Veteran’s Affairs and VA programs would also face a cut of nearly 22 percent to its workforce. Most concerning for Biggs as a union president are the potential cuts to pensions plans, despite the funding already having been approved through previous legislation.
Nearly one-third of the active members of the IFPTE will be impacted if the proposed federal budget cuts are made. Federal employees working at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, U.S. Navy Shipyards and within the energy industry would all face potential job cuts. The Federal Aviation Administration would face a loss of air traffic controllers, creating an understaffed workforce and possibly leading to greater safety concerns for air travel. Beyond IFPTE members, Biggs added that these cuts could eliminate nearly 7 million jobs, potentially creating a recession.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
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