In an encouraging story, the Washington Post reported yesterday that President Obama has ordered a freeze on bonuses to all federal appointees:
Obama is under intense political pressure to close the federal budget deficit, and the presidential memo he issued Tuesday night is the latest in a series of personnel decisions he has made to help do so.
Obama does not need legislation to enact the freeze he ordered Tuesday, which suspends “cash awards, quality step increases, bonuses and similar discretionary payments or salary adjustments” to any federal political appointee.
White House officials estimate that 2,900 employees will be affected by the order, which is projected to save the government $1.9 million a year.
“I appreciate the hard work of our Federal workforce, and understand how important these payments can be to many workers and their families,” Obama wrote in the memo. “Yet like households and businesses across the country, we need to make tough choices about how to spend our funds.”
We applaud the President for this measure of fiscal responsibility. This is an example of the difficult but necessary steps required to address our economic challenges. Click here to read the full article.
