Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1073 and the hard-working public servants it so deservedly recognizes today.
As the son of a career foreign service officer and a State Department analyst, public service — in all its forms — has always been a value in my family. Whether you’re talking about soldiers putting themselves on the line for our nation, police and firefighters protecting our communities, scientists and researchers developing breakthrough medicines, or teachers and librarians educating our children, it should be clear to all who stop and think about it that America simply could not be its best without the ongoing courage, intelligence and efforts of its public servants.
That is why I believe so strongly in the enduring value of a robust, highly trained and dynamic civil service — and in pursuing public policies that can recruit and retain that kind of workforce. For me, that means pay parity for civil servants, a decent and dignified workplace across the government, genuinely fair rules for outsourcing competitions and benefit packages that will enable more of our best and brightest to pursue careers in public service over otherwise potentially more lucrative opportunities in the private sector. It also means generating a renewed sense of excitement and respect for public service careers in our culture.
Madam Speaker, towards that end, I believe this resolution is well-deserved and a terrific place to start. I look forward to working more closely with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to put the spirit of today’s resolution into action as we deliberate policy affecting our public servants throughout the rest of the year.