June 11, 2014, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Nathan Mehrens today issued the following statement blasting the House of Representatives for failing to stop taxpayer subsidies for unions in the Housing and Urban Development and Transportation appropriations bill through the defeat an amendment offered by Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) that would have defunded the practice known as “official time” where taxpayers pay federal employees to work for unions:
“By failing to adopt the Gingrey rider to the Transportation appropriations bill, the House has voted to subsidize union work. Unions could pay for these employees themselves. Why are taxpayers subsidizing organized labor? And why are members of the House blocking efforts to bring an end to this unjustifiable practice?
“We applaud Rep. Gingrey’s efforts to defund taxpayer subsidies for union officials. While the result is disappointing, there will be more opportunities in future appropriations bills to defund the hundreds of full-time union official and thousands more part-time across the federal government who are working on the taxpayer’s dime. We urge the House to reconsider this issue carefully.”
Attachments:
“Public employee union’s ‘official time’ personnel bailout,” By Americans for Limited Government President Nathan Mehrens, Washington Examiner, April 21, 2013 at http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2527755
Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at (202)744-4427 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Nathan Mehrens.
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