The budget proposal meanwhile seeks to reverse some changes adopted only recently as part of a catchall budget measure for the current fiscal year, including the moratorium on implementing an alternative personnel system at DHS. The White House seeks to delete that language, although the practical effect, even if accepted by Congress, would be uncertain since several parts of that program are subject to a court injunction and potential further legal challenge plus what could be difficult labor-management bargaining if DHS attempted to move ahead. The proposal also seeks to repeal the authority to make Customs and Border Protection officers eligible for the special law enforcement officer retirement benefits; that authority is to become effective in July, under current law. The budget also seeks to repeal several restrictions placed on the contracting-out program, including the widening of employee appeal rights and other provisions that in sum would make it more difficult for contractors to win competitions. It further asked for repeal of certain contracting out restrictions applying only to DoD, which does most of the government’s contracting-out studies. However, the administration did not seek to revise the recently legislated changes in DoD’s national security personnel system (see stories below).
