In testimony on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins confirmed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is now looking to fill critical positions, after agreeing to pay more than 15,000 employees’ salaries and benefits through September in exchange for their resignations.
“We are actively looking and recruiting to fill those positions that are integral to the efforts and the key frontlines,” Rollins told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.
But the need to fill positions so soon after letting people go has raised questions, including from Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“So you let people go and you’re looking for new people to fill the positions that they had experience in?” Murray asked.
Only a fool would take a government job unless they had no choice. Even if I were considering it, I would insist in negotiations for pay upfront or some kind of severance agreement.
For many years, the status quo was that you underpaid and provided an extremely stable position but in exchange received more loyal and often more experienced employees that knew how to work with the complex bureaucratic systems. Now, there’s no reason to take those jobs.
There’s no reason to take these jobs, not without a significant pay bump or other equalizing factor.