Goals in Health Care, Other Areas Outlined in Obama Budget Proposal Likely To Require Many New Federal Workers
The fiscal year 2010 budget proposal that President Obama released last week likely would require the administration to hire tens of thousands of new federal employees to meet his "ambitious" goals in a number of areas, such as health care, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, the proposal would provide billions of dollars for new initiatives and expansions of current programs, and "given Obama's insistence that he would scale back the use of private-sector contractors," his goals could "reverse a generational decline in the size of the government work force." Administration officials said that they cannot estimate the number of new federal employees they would need to hire until Obama releases a more detailed proposal this spring, but independent estimates range from 100,000 to 250,000 workers.
For example, officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs said that, by the end of 2009, they expect to hire more than 17,000 new employees, many at VA hospitals and other medical facilities to meet a goal of Obama's to expand access to health care for veterans. VA spokesperson Josephine Schuda said that the department plans to hire an additional 7,900 nurses, 3,800 clerks, 3,300 physicians and 2,400 practical nurses.
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag said, "It is premature to be making any assumptions about overall federal employment levels," adding, "We have no desire to bloat bureaucracy -- indeed, just the opposite -- and the budget will not do that." In "several key areas -- from properly auditing contracts to providing quality medical care to veterans and reducing errors in Medicare and other programs -- investing in skilled professionals will not only pay off over time but also immediately deliver better service to taxpayers," Orszag said (Rucker, Washington Post, 3/3).
