Marino Reintroduces Federal Hiring Freeze Bill

Statement

"This is a common-sense bill that will impose a hiring freeze on the federal government until our budget deficit has been eliminated," said Marino. "The fact is, we need to manage this government more like we run our businesses. I worked in a factory until I was thirty years old and when it became my responsibility to manage our budget I was asked to increase productivity by 10% while cutting 10% of expenses -- so we found a way to make more with less. The concept of balancing a budget is not a novel idea, and the fact that this government spends $1 trillion more than it takes in through revenues is outrageous."

Since first introducing similar legislation in 2011, the national debt has increased by $2.1 trillion and the U.S. is now borrowing 46 cents for every dollar it spends.

"I have the utmost respect for federal employees, and this bill is in no way an attack on these employees or the work that they do. But I believe that federal workers are willing and able to step up and be a part of the solution. Our nation's current fiscal course is simply unsustainable and we cannot afford to bankroll this Administration's endless spending spree."

Marino's legislation also contains specific, limited exceptions in which hiring is permitted, including exceptions for times of war, for federal law enforcement purposes, to honor prior contractual obligations, and for the U.S. Postal Service.

"The exceptions included in my bill ensure that the most critical and basic function of our government remain intact and unaffected by the hiring freeze," said Marino. "It is time we begin taking deliberate actions toward addressing this issue of national importance. My legislation represents a small but significant step in reducing the size of government, as well as reducing out-of-control government spending."

Marino introduced similar language in the House during the 112th Congress, H.R. 1779. The bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where Rep. Marino was able to testify on his legislation.

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