The Post's Stephen Barr is the author of The Federal Diary, which runs Sunday through Friday in the Metro section. Steve has been a reporter and editor at The Post since 1979, including stints as Federal Page editor, congressional editor and a staff writer covering the federal bureaucracy. He takes the column live to answer your questions Wednesdays at noon ET.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
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Stephen Barr: Congress is gone for the month; the president has gone to Texas for the month. Yes, it's August in Washington. In some quarters, this is when the Real Work gets done. In some offices, it's casual dress and two-hour lunches. And you can now tell I have little to say that's truly informative! With that, let's go to the questions.
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New York, N.Y.:
Based on the dismal service we're received from TSP, we've missed a couple of key financial events. Is there any way to take legal action against TSP/FRTIB?
Stephen Barr: We've been swamped here with e-mail and calls from people expressing concerns about the financial hardships that grew out of the June 16 launch of the new Thrift Savings Plan record-keeping system. But I'm no legal expert and suspect you would have to spend considerable time and money to make a case against the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.
A more effective approach may be to contact your member of Congress or Rep. Tom Davis, chairman of the House Government Reform Committee. Tom Davis, and his colleague, Rep. Jo Ann S. Davis, strongly suggested to TSP officials at a July hearing that they should consider helping persons adversely affected by the software mess.
Here's how the board chairman, Andrew Saul, responded:
"I assure you we don't take lightly some of these disaster stories that we're hearing about, and I believe the board will have to look at some of these cases in an individual way, and take a look at them."
A TSP spokesman has declined to elaborate on Saul's statement. So, again, if I were in your shoes, I'd speak with a House member or senator before seeking out a lawyer.
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Derwood, Md.:
Yesterday's column discussed a study which compared SES salaries against the top salaries at "non profit associations".
Is this really a fair comparision?
In the D.C. area at least, many "non-profits" are really industry associations whose only members are for-profit companies. There are non-profits which represent the cell phone companies, the recording industry, the movie makers, etc., etc.
Of course, the heads of these "non-profit associations" are going to get salaries consistent with the for-profit, private industry sector that they represent.
The reason I ask is that I think that when most people think of "non profit", they think charitable organization, not of an association that represents business interests.
washingtonpost.com: Top Federal Executives' Pay Not on a Par With Peers at Largest Nonprofits (Post, Aug. 5)
Stephen Barr: A good point. The study sought to advance the debate on SES pay by looking at jobs other than the chief executive's position--a common benchmark. But no data collection on pay is complete or representative, plus it is very difficult to compare many federal positions to outside jobs because the responsibilities are so different. The Volcker commission looked to nonprofits, in part because many are involved in public service, and because they are not caught up in more complicated issues, such as stock options, etc.
But back to my main point--it is difficult to compare federal jobs to jobs anywhere else. But job and salary comparisons seem to be the focal point in many pay raise debates, such as the General Schedule and the wage grade.
There never will be a report that satisifies everybody.
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Atlanta, Ga.:
What is the word on the
Performance Contracts at HHS?
It was interesting to be given a document
to sign that didn't relate to my job
responsibilities or position description,
except with the broadest brush-stroke
of political correctness.
And will HHS Secretary Thompson
be around to deal with the impact
of all the issues that these
Performance Contracts raise?
p.s.: I appreciate the bird-dogging
you do in your column and here on-line.
Stephen Barr: As best I can tell, HHS plans to show its a loyal soldier for the White House and is sticking with the contracts. A couple of members of Congress have sent over letters asking what they're about and generally objecting to the idea that career employees would be asked to endorse an administration's agenda. But Thompson's press office defends them as a way to show rank-and-file employees where they fit into the administration's bigger picture so that all can pull toward the president's goals. I'm betting this turns into a paperwork exercise that eventually gets ignored. Yes, you're right, Secretary Thompson will be gone before we know how this chapter ends.
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Rockville, Md.:
I'm the only person left on my team--everyone else has been detailed elsewhere on long-term projects. After twiddling my thumbs for almost a year, I've decided to quit and travel for a while (I'm an NTE expiring in Dec. anyway). Plane departs in October! My job is training in a specific software package. Now, out of the blue, I am starting to get requests. How should I handle it? My boss has been totally unsupportive over this boring time period-not allowing me to help others, volunteer on projects or assigning me other responsibilities, so I don't feel any loyalty or that I owe her more than two weeks notice. I hate to leave clients in the lurch. If I can't persuade them to have classes sooner, should I just assume someone will be detailed to take my responsibilities when I leave?
Stephen Barr: A good ethics query. Recent survey data collected by the Office of Personnel Management shows that many federal employees hold their managers in low regard. It's disturbing to hear an account like yours. Sounds like you want to help out people, so perhaps you could bend your schedule. But if you've purchased the plane tickets, perhaps you need to be pro-active, tell your boss you're leaving but will help her find someone to take care of these people. Best of luck working through this.
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Beltsville, Md.:
With the advertising this week of the new look to the USAJOBS Web site, do you think potential applicants will find applying for Federal jobs simpler? From what I see it is just a redesign of the same old stuff that was on the previous site. As a Human Resources professional, I wonder when OPM will get the message that people on the outside do not understand the terminology used in the Federal government and it makes it hard for individuals to apply. I see that the new design will not change anything in the process to get Federal employment.
Stephen Barr: Well, it seems to me that we view the USAJobs site change as one step in many that will be needed. It's hard to balance a job site in a way that is responsive to sophisticated insiders against the untutored outsider seeking a government career. Unfortunately, I fear the federal hiring proces will never be simple because of all the laws that agencies must comply with. OPM says it has a team, led by deputy director Dan Blair, working on how to simplify job vacancy announcements. Let's hope the changes come soon.
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Washington, D.C.:
I understand many of the house appropriations bills were passed in a very quick manner over a couple of days before the recess and that as a result there may not have been adequate debate on certain items. Do you think the Senate will return from recess and also quickly pass appropriations bills just so they can claim success on getting them done before the end of the fiscal year, thereby leaving us with potentially poorly written and thought out legislation? Not that I desire another CR but there should be some discussion of the bills before they are all passed.
Stephen Barr: The House sets the pace on appropriations bills. Many House Republicans want to support the president's agenda and some measures have moved forward with little debate. But this is a multi-stage process. The Senate has passed four spending bills, and they and others to come will be subject to negotiations among the House and the White House. September could be pretty ugly in the Senate, which depends more on bipartisanship than the House. Still, don't expect a lot of debate, even on critically important measures. Good ideas don't always win on the Hill, and the preferences of lawmakers still hold sway.
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Vienna, Va.:
Why so much griping about the TSP? One is always free, if he/she is dissatisfied with the program, to take his/her money and invest it somewhere else. There are many investment firms and brokers who are ready and eager to help people set up accounts, portfolios, and 401K plans. And, unlike the TSP, brokers can purchase municipal bonds and bond funds for their clients that have tax-FREE interest, not just tax-deferred -- double tax-free in some cases. I've been in the Federal government 30 years and have built up a real nice, safe nest egg with these bonds, awaiting retirement in a couple of years and it is super-safe, free from the up-and-down yo-yos of the stock market.
And if you need emergency money for any reason, just a quick call to your broker, sell a bond, and you got INSTANT cash. Try THAT with your friendly TSP folks.
Stephen Barr: True enough. But most of us are hard pressed to save for retirement and doing it through a payroll deduction is the only sure way we can make those savings happen. TSP offers an important tax advantage in that the money goes in pre-tax, which you can't get elsewhere except in some IRAs at some income levels. Federal employees just can't go out and buy into someone's 401(k). Given these circumstances, TSP is the main savings vehicle for many federal employees--and they deserve a high level of customer service.
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Arlington, Va.:
My fiance is a federal employee and Army reservist. He works at HUD, but was called to active duty last December in support of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom. He should be home and back to work by this December. After Desert Storm, the Secretary of HUD gave all reservists returning to work 5-days of leave to acknowledge the sacrifices they had made for their country. Any chance that will happen this time around? Are you hearing any rumblings? We hope that this Secretary of HUD, and heck the entire Bush administration, will acknowledge federal reservists in a similar way as was done under Bush I. Thanks!
Stephen Barr: As I understand it, the first President Bush directed Cabinet officers to provide the leave. They then did so under their authority (probably for technical or legal reasons). I'm confident that the current president will seriously consider an equivalent gesture when the time is appropriate. The nation's reservists are facing more hardships this time around, I think, in part because so many have been mobilized far longer than expected.
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Rockville, Md.:
DHHS is trying to consolidate 40 HR offices to four. I heard that CDC, IHS and some others "contacted" Congress to oppose this. Any news?
Stephen Barr: You're right. A number of employees have raised concerns about the consolidation and complaints have been heard on Capitol Hill. The Senate report on the HHS appropriations bill directs the department to stop the consolidation. But I think HHS hopes to accomplish its reorganization before Congress can take official action.
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Crownsville, Md.:
What is the current position of the administration on requiring agencies to open up non-inherently governmental jobs to outsourcing? I thought I read recently that they had backed off the earlier figure of outsourcing 850,000 jobs due to pressure from various groups.
Stephen Barr: This is tricky to answer. OMB recently dropped its budget requirement that agencies compete 15 percent of their jobs by the end of this fiscal year and its longer range goal of competing half of the 850,000 jobs. But ... the administration remains committed to running competitions to see if work can be turned over to the private sector. Some bills in Congress would restrict activities at certain agencies, in part because it appears to be costing more than some people thought to go through the process. Many agencies don't have the capacity to compete large numbers of their jobs. I suspect this issue will drag on through next year before we get a sense of how it may turn out.
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Richmond, Va.:
Is anyone in the Bush Administration looking at the abuse of power meted out at TSA? They are firing people instead of laying them off so they won't have to pay unemployment compensation. That said, they are making up the reasons they are terminating these people -- nationwide. Because the Screening Directors are retired Secret Service, government officials, etc. there are no questions asked..
Stephen Barr: We can hope that Tom Ridge, the homeland security secretary, and Kay James, the director of OPM, will be monitoring for abuses. TSA is cutting 6,000 screener jobs in an attempt to meet budgetary requirements imposed by lawmakers. At the same time, it is under pressure to ensure that security holds firm at the nation's airport. Unfortunately, as a new agency operating under its own rules, employees have difficulty getting themselves heard at the top. Your best bet may be to inform your local member of Congress of such problems.
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Arlington, Va.:
There was an interesting article in the Outlook section of Sunday's paper, concerning the GAO and it's success recruiting employees. It mentioned the ability to give bonuses instead of longevity increase and giving employees a variety of assignment. Have you heard of anything like this being tested in the executive branch? How much does the plan for changing personnel rules at DoD follow the GAO model ?
washingtonpost.com: The Watchdog That's Off and Running (Post, Aug. 3)
Stephen Barr: The GAO strives to serve as a model for the rest of the government. It's a little easier at GAO, in part because it is a relatively small, highly professional workforce. The IRS and FAA have tried similar approaches, but have moved more slowly because of requirements to negotiate with unions. Several personnel experiments, in the Commerce and Defense departments, have shown some success in this area.
The Pentagon is looking more toward its own "demonstration labs" as the model for its proposed changes than the GAO. It's also important to note that GAO management actually talks and consults with employee representatives when making pay and personnel changes. GAO recently criticized the Pentagon for not doing enough to include its employees in designing the proposed changes.
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Arlington, Va.:
Website, shmebsite: It doesn't matter if OPM fills out the application, someone is going to not like the federal job process. Do as I did and seek other sources to help you learn about "fed lingo" and such. Check your local library bulletin board or community center for lectures/seminars on applying for these jobs -- sometimes they're free. There are people like Kathryn Troutman who have been working with this stuff for 20 years and can help you along the way. Or, ask a fed employee that you know for guidance. I ended up taking a one-day class to understand it all when I was heading for the unemployment line and it made a world of difference. As a fed employee for the past seven years, I can't complain about the time or money I spent on helping myself. Yes, the fed job process can be confusing and frustrating, but I perservered and nobody was going to do my work for me but me!!
Stephen Barr: Thanks much. Taking personal initiative does pay off.
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Mt. Airy, Md.:
HCFA/CMS has been reorganized so much over the last decade, yet Congress now wants to break off parts of the agency as part of "Medicare reform du jour." I really wonder how effective such major agency reorgs have been. Do you know of any studies or cost/benefit analysis on the utility (or futility) of federal agency reorganizations?
Thanks
Stephen Barr: Check out Paul Light's "Tides of Reform" and studies conducted by the National Academy of Public Administration. The literature seems to suggest that major reorganizations take a lot of time and often fall short of achieving the projected cost savings. The government is going through a mega-merger right now--22 agencies consolidated into the Department of Homeland Security. Even some agency officials expect it will be 7 to 10 years before DHS is firing away on all cylinders.
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TSP Purgatory, Va.:
Former government worker with money still in TSP. I'm still young -- in my 30's. Worked as a government worker for 5 years and left about a year and a half ago. I don't like to have money all over the place and would prefer to have all of my money in one place. Best course of action? Thanks.
Stephen Barr: If your new employer has a 401(k) or similar plan, you may roll over your TSP money into that plan without penalty. You also can roll your TSP money over into certain types of IRAs. However, you cannot move money into the TSP unless you are a current government employee.
If you move your savings around, don't forget to check what fees are charged by your new plan. The TSP overhead fees are extremely low, compared to the industry, and you might be better off leaving the money there. It all depends on how TSP fits into your current diversification philosophy.
Once again, we've run out of time today. Thanks to all of you who joined in this discussion and those of you who take the time to read the transcript. We'll be back here at noon next Wednesday.
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