Treasury's Use of G Fund to Avoid Hitting Debt Limit Won't Hurt Investors, Officials Say

Although the Treasury Department will rely on the G Fund in the Thrift Savings Plan to buy some time to maneuver against the national debt limit, federal employees who invest in the fund will not suffer any losses, officials said.

Treasury Secretary John W. Snow told Congress last week that it had begun to use the TSP's government securities fund to keep from hitting the $8 trillion debt limit. He called on congressional leaders to increase the debt limit by mid-March, suggesting that was when the Treasury might not be able to meet its financial obligations.

Snow also indicated that TSP investors should not worry about his decision to suspend reinvestment of some TSP assets on a daily basis. In a letter to Capitol Hill leaders, Snow said G Fund participants "are fully protected and will suffer no adverse consequences from this action."

A 1987 law requires the Treasury secretary to make "complete restoration of all funds temporarily affected by this necessary action, including full and automatic restoration of any interest that would have been credited to the fund," Snow wrote.

The G Fund is one of the most popular investment choices for federal employees, in part because it provides steady returns (4.48 percent for the 12-month period ending Jan. 31). The fund, available only to government personnel, allows investors to earn rates of interest similar to those of long-term government securities without any risk of losing principal and with little volatility in earnings.

The G Fund has about $65.3 billion in assets, but a Treasury spokeswoman said officials "will just take what we need to get through each day." Treasury began suspending G Fund investments Thursday, according to Snow's letter.

By suspending G Fund investments, Treasury makes room on the government's books for more borrowing. Brookly McLaughlin , the department spokeswoman, said Treasury might resort to other methods to avoid bumping up against the debt limit. For example, she noted that the government closed a window Wednesday for lending debt securities to state and local governments.

Numerous federal employees object to the Treasury maneuver, contending that it amounts to a raid by the government into personal savings accounts. But officials noted that the G Fund has been used to avoid defaulting on the national debt several times, including during the budget showdowns of 1995 and 1996.

In a posting on the TSP Web site, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board said a "make-whole provision" in the 1987 law "means that TSP participants who have invested in the G Fund will not lose anything."

Executive Forum

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The 20th annual Executive Forum, sponsored by the Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association, will be held March 8 and 9 in Arlington.

Among those scheduled to speak are David M. Walker , head of the Government Accountability Office; Matthew Blum , senior attorney for procurement policy at the Office of Management and Budget; and Mary E. Lacey , program executive officer for the National Security Personnel System at the Defense Department.

For details, go to http://www.feiaa.org .

Retirements

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Steven Brody , program executive for the Discovery Program for solar system exploration missions, will retire from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on Feb. 28 after 23 years of federal service. He also served as NASA's representative to the European Space Agency for the space station program.

Robert J. Charnoff , a lawyer with the tax-exempt organizations division of the Internal Revenue Service, retired Jan. 3 after 36 years of federal service.

Charles Gentry , a branch chief with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, retired Feb. 3 after more than 31 years of federal service.

Carlos Lavin Jr. , an offer specialist with the IRS, will retire Feb. 27 after more than 32 years of government service.

Thomas McCarthy retired Jan. 3 from Navy Strategic Systems Programs after 31 years of federal service. He was the section head and chief civilian engineer for Trident and SSGN weapon control systems operational support. He was honored with the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award and Fleet Ballistic Missile Directors Award.

E-mail:barrs@washpost.com