Next Budget Cycle Starts Soon

One reason Congress wants to wrap up leftover work on the budget promptly is that the next budget cycle is due to get underway February 2, with the release of the White House’s fiscal 2005 proposals. This being an election year, Congress will try to get finished more quickly this time, hoping to wrap up work for the year around early October in order to have time for campaigning. One federal employment issue that could become prominent in the campaigns is contracting-out. Employee organizations and supportive members of Congress are working to build on the partial successes they scored last year in curtailing the administration’s initiatives to consider federal jobs for private sector performance. The budget process is expected to be one front in that battle. Issues relating to the new personnel systems at the Defense and Homeland Security departments-particularly relating to union rights and employee protections-also could garner national attention.