Contracting Out, Other Programs Also Defended

The statement further defended the administration’s A-76 contracting-out initiative—what it calls competitive sourcing—by saying it is not “a scheme to get rid of federal employees” but rather a way to make government more efficient and noting that historically only about 5 percent of affected employees are involuntarily separated as a result of competition. It also rejected arguments that contracting out doesn’t save any money or that the savings from such studies can’t be verified—all contentions raised by unions and other critics of the program. The statement also defended government-wide IT initiatives and the program assessment and rating tool program.