A Commitment to Hire War Veterans at the IRS

At the urging of a key senator, President Bush's nominee to head the Internal Revenue Service has promised to consider hiring veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars for jobs in the coming fiscal year.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Finance Committee, urged Douglas H. Shulman to hire 1,000 veterans, especially disabled veterans, if he is confirmed by the Senate to be IRS commissioner.

Shulman told Grassley he was not familiar with IRS hiring practices but said "you've got my commitment" to "work toward a goal like that." Shulman has been the vice chairman of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, once known as the National Association of Securities Dealers, and served as chief of staff on a bipartisan commission that set up the framework for the restructuring of the IRS in the late 1990s.

Congress has championed the hiring of military veterans for decades, approving bills and amending laws that permit agencies to show a preference for veterans when filling jobs. Grassley told Shulman he would sponsor any legislative changes that the IRS might need to ensure that 1,000 veterans are hired.

In his State of the Union address, the president asked Congress to create a preference for military spouses so that they, too, would have an edge when competing for federal jobs. Bush said a hiring preference for spouses would be another way to recognize the sacrifices of military families.

In his remarks to Shulman, Grassley said the IRS is going to lose a significant number of employees to retirement over the next few years, "and it seems obvious that the agency could benefit from veterans' experience, energy and can-do attitude."

An IRS spokesman said the agency would have no comment on Grassley's proposal.

The IRS, which has about 87,000 employees, will need to hire about 3,350 revenue agents and 4,600 tax examiners by next year to replace departing employees, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service in July.

Shulman would replace Mark W. Everson, who left the Bush administration last year to head the Red Cross. He has since left that job.

Sticking With Paper Budgets

The White House is to issue the fiscal 2009 budget Monday, and budget books will be available on Capitol Hill for lawmakers and staff members who prefer to turn pages rather than scroll online.

The Office of Management and Budget has traditionally provided free copies to members of Congress but dropped the perk this year to save money and to promote electronic government. As in recent years, OMB will post the budget on the Web.

The notion of using a computer to go through 2,200 pages of small text and tables got a frosty reception in some Hill offices, so Congress will dip into its appropriation for printing and binding of committee documents and publications to buy budget books. Having the paper documents will allow "members and staff to be able to do their job," a spokesman for the Senate Rules and Administration Committee said yesterday.