newjerseynewsroom.com

Only men and women in uniform exempt among federal employees

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Citing a $1.3 trillion projected federal deficit he inherited from "a decade of irresponsibility," President Obama on Monday announced a two-year wage freeze on all federal civilian employees, including 80,311 in New Jersey.

The only people exempt are uniformed members of the five armed services.

The freeze is designed to save the federal government $2 billion in the 2010-11 fiscal year, $28 billion over the next five years, and more than $60 billion over the next decade.

"The president us clearly asking them to make a sacrifice,'' Jeffrey Zients, deputy director of the federal Office of Management and Budget, said. "We believe it is the first of many difficult steps ahead."

Zients spoke at a briefing with White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer.

Zients and Pfeiffer said now that the Obama administration sees signs of the recession ending, it is turning its attention to addressing the "massive deficits we inherited and the unsustainable fiscal course that we are on."

They added, "Doing so will take some very tough choices. Just as families and businesses around the nation have tightened their belts so must their government. That must be done in a targeted way that focuses our investments in what works and in what will lay the foundation for job creation and economic growth for years to come while cutting back elsewhere in our budget. That is why the President has decided to propose a freeze in civilian pay for federal employees for two years, 2011 and 2012."

When he took office in 2009 Obama froze the salaries for all senior White House officials. In last year's budget, he proposed to extend the freeze to other top political appointees, and he eliminated bonuses for all political appointees.