Policy Director for the American Federation of Government Employees, Jacqueline Simon, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the latest deadline for spending resolutions that need to be passed by Congress to avoid a government shut down and what that means for AFGE members. She also discussed the Federal Fiscal Commission and why implementing the commission would be a mistake.
Jan. 19, is the deadline for the first set of spending resolutions to be passed. Simon talked about the state of the majority party in Congress after the infighting in 2023. While there is still a faction of legislators hoping for a shutdown, there should be greater support to pass the spending resolutions on time, Simon said. If they don’t pass a full year of spending to be funded, there could be lasting impacts on government employees.
If the spending resolutions and a potential 2024 budget are not approved, many government employees will be furloughed. The legislators hoping for a government shutdown also believe shutdowns save money, despite several reports stating the opposite, Simon said. She said these legislators have put AFGE members at risk and could create lasting staffing issues in departments already struggling with understaffing.
If created, the Federal Fiscal Commission could bypass elected leadership and make recommendations to cut vital federal programs and services. Simon discussed the similarities between the proposed commission and the failed Simpson-Bowles Bill from 2010. She also talked about the potential cuts and changes the commission could make, including increasing the age to be eligible to receive retirement benefits, eliminating portions of retirement benefits, and potentially requiring many government workers to be furloughed.
Listen to the show above to learn more about a potential government shutdown and the impact on AFGE workers.
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.
