Government affairs

This week, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Subcommittee on Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce held a hearing on “A More Efficient and Effective Government: Cultivating the Federal Workforce,”in honor of Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW), which has been celebrated during the first week of May since 1985 and which honors federal, state, county and local government employees.

The hearing examined the state of the federal workforce; the impact on employee morale of factors such as the federal government shutdown, sequestration, and hiring and pay freezes; productivity and efficiency; and agency recruitment and retention efforts. Also discussed were ongoing efforts by agencies with the highest and lowest job satisfaction rates, as well as innovative programs and actions by agencies to overcome the ongoing challenges of recruiting and retaining a highly capable and qualified workforce.

“America's public servants are tireless and often perform thankless jobs to keep us safe and support our families,” said Subcommittee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT). “As we work to make government more efficient, we must recognize public employees' role in strengthening our economy and our quality of life.”

The NALC is proud to participate in PSRW and commends letter carriers for their hard work and dedication this week—and every day.