Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

Mr. President, the legislation I will introduce shortly focuses on a small sector of the Federal workforce. But there is a broader message that I would like to deliver as well today. There is something I want to say to all Federal workers: I have got your back.

We have all been hearing statements by politicians in the halls of Congress, in the news, and even on Twitter threatening to gut the Federal workforce, cut earned benefits, reduce paychecks, make it easier to fire people at will, and other destructive and misguided actions.

To Federal employees, these statements must be particularly hurtful. Some may feel anxious and disheartened. But I want to assure all Federal workers that I am on your side. Your contributions are integral to our Nation. You live and work in small towns, in urban centers, and around the country. You do crucial work for our government and for the American people.

As the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C., is often mistaken as the primary location for Federal workers. But this is patently false. Eighty-five per cent of Federal workers actually live and work outside of the D.C. area. Federal workers live and work in every town, city, and State. In many places, the Federal Government is the main employer--and those jobs are vital to the local economy. The Federal workforce represents the diversity of our country.

Since 1960, the GDP has multiplied five times, new agencies have been added to the government, and the responsibilities of Federal workers have grown exponentially, and yet hiring has stagnated. The civilian workforce, not including Postal Service employees, is roughly the same size it was during the Kennedy administration, at around 2 million.

Pledges from short-sighted politicians about privatizing government services and programs like Medicare and Social Security would cause many Federal jobs to vanish and impair access to Federal services. This would put real Americans out of work and cause measurable economic hardship to local and State economies.

In addition, the government is the number one employer of veterans, particularly disabled veterans who have trouble finding jobs in the private sector. Freezing hiring or cutting the workforce means fewer opportunities for America's heroes.

That is why I want the next administration to understand the importance of Federal workers. Their jobs cannot be outsourced, replaced by machines, cut, or consolidated. I would urge the next administration to stop using our Federal workforce for purposes of partisan rhetoric and political games.

I want to let Federal workers know that I will continue to work in the Senate to fight efforts to undermine you and the work that you do.

I will look for opportunities to improve the Federal workplace and strengthen the Federal workforce. So keep up the good work across America. You can count on me for support.

Today I also rise to introduce the Strengthening American Transportation Security Act of 2016, SATSA. This bill would extend to Transportation Security Officers, TSO, the same worker rights and protections under Title 5 of the U.S. Code that most other Federal workers enjoy and that TSOs are currently denied.

TSOs are Federal employees who work on the frontlines of aviation security, and make up 70 percent of the Transportation Security Administration's workforce. They provide essential protection to all Americans by screening passengers and baggage at our airports.

Every day TSOs stop eight guns from getting on our airplanes. That's nearly 3,000 guns a year. They hold life-saving jobs and TSOs deserve parity under Title 5 of the U.S. Code. My bill would provide fair treatment to TSO's and, in doing so, would improve passenger safety and enhance the overall capacity of the Federal workforce responsible for protecting our aviation transportation system.

I am proud to introduce SATSA, which would improve the morale and stability of TSOs, the Federal workers keeping our airports and aviation travel safe. I want to thank my colleagues that have joined as original cosponsors of this bill: Senators Brown, Merkley, Warren, Franken, Peters, Tester, and Heinrich.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

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