Saturday, February 09, 2013

Congressman Jeff Duncan: H.R. 273 to Eliminate Automatic Raises per Executive Order

By Douglas V. Gibbs

As a conservative it has been frustrating because the Republican Party has taken a downhill turn.  The moderates and RINOs have not only infiltrated and taken command and control of the party, but now, as evidenced recently by Karl Rove's attacks, have launched all out war against the TEA Party, and conservatives.  The result of this emerging civil war is that Congressmen and Senators are tucking their tails between their legs, afraid to lose their spots on committees, and are believing the GOP hard-liners that if the "right-wing extremists" don't play ball with the all-mighty Republican Party they will never be elected again.  The unintended consequence for the Republican Party has been that the conservatives that have a backbone are rising up and shining like the North Star to lead the way back to conservatism.  Stars like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul in the Senate are beginning to make waves the establishment is not too thrilled about.  In the House of Representatives, a few stars are beginning to shine bright, as well, and one of those stars is Congressman Jeff Duncan of South Carolina.

One of the best things I have done in recent months is begin following Mr. Duncan on Facebook.  His introductory statement on his Facebook page pretty much sums him up:

“I always give God the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. I know God is in control of my life, and I also know, if nothing else, that I’m standing on the Rock.”

I introduced you to Congressman Duncan here on Political Pistachio on January 13th, 2013, with his comment that was obviously pointed at Obama and his liberal left democrat party cronies, "We live in a Republic, not a Dictatorship."

Congressman Jeff Duncan was highlighted on Political Pistachio again on January 15, 2013, when Congressman  Duncan announced he was ready to oppose the Obama Regime on Gun Control, and that he would oppose "any executive order that President Obama might introduce that restricts our Constitutional rights. No President has the power to unilaterally make law. This is about a lot more than the second amendment, this is about freedom."

I introduced Mr. Duncan to my Constitution Radio on KCAA 1050 AM audience when Congressman Duncan's remarks regarding gun control made my Big 5 Stories of the Week on January 19th.

Once again, Congressman Jeff Duncan, and his allies in Congress, are prepared to stand up to the Obama Administration again!

President Barack Obama used an Executive Order to automatically raise the pay across-the-board for the President, his Cabinet, the Vice President, and other non-military federal employees on December 27, 2012, and he did it at a time while Americans are hurting, and spending cuts at the federal level are more than necessary for the survival of our Blessed country.  Congressman Jeff Duncan has announced his support for legislation introduced by Ron DeSantis of Florida, another member of Congress that holds dear the text of the United States Constitution.  H.R. 273 is a bill that takes aim at those automatic pay raises Obama put into motion with the stroke of a pen, because he understands that the House of Representatives, according to Article I, Section 7 of the United States Constitution, has the power of the purse strings.  

According to Congressman Jeff Duncan's Facebook page, the legislation is being considered for the following reasons:

· With automatic spending cuts scheduled to kick-in on March 1, agencies should be focused on how to do more with less, but the President’s Executive Order would, beginning in April, provide an automatic pay raise for all federal civilian employees that will cost taxpayers approximately $10 billion over the next
ten years.

· This across-the-board pay raise, which is being provided irrespective of merit and is in addition to whatever other raises employees receive because of a promotion, isn’t fair to hard working taxpayers. Between 2000 and 2010, the average Federal civilian salary increased by 62%, while the average private sector salary increased by only 34%.

Background:

On December 27, 2012, President Obama issued an Executive Order providing an across-the-board pay raise for federal civilian employees of approximately 0.5%.

Under this Executive Order:
· The Vice President’s salary would go from $230,700 to $231,900.
· The salary for Cabinet Secretaries would increase from $199,700 to $200,700.
· The average federal employee in Washington DC who already makes over $100,000 a year would see their salary go up on average approximately $500.

With respect to civilian federal employees, this pay increase is in addition to whatever raise they would have otherwise received because of a merit or longevity promotion. It was recently reported that despite, the current pay freeze, the average salary for federal employees is still going up:

Despite the pay freeze, the average federal employee salary is still going up. Back in September 2009, the average federal salary was $72,249 and in September 2010 it was $74,302. By September 2012, the average GS federal salary was up to $74,804—an increase of about $500 despite the limited pay freeze.
Presumably, this increase is because agencies are promoting people into higher graded positions for performing the same or similar duties, employees are receiving within-grade increases, and new positions are being created in agencies and these positions may be paying a higher salary.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

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