Isbella Diaz
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan is expected to be Speaker of the House by the end of the week, but Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen has said this will not be a good thing for federal workers.
Van Hollen did not shy away from criticizing the Speaker hopeful, warning that should Ryan take up that position, his budget would be “very hostile to federal employees.”
In an interview with the Washington Post, Van Hollen said Ryan’s proposals asserted that any budget of his would effectively cut federal employee pay. This would be done by forcing them to pay a larger share of federal retirement benefits.
Van Hollen is the House Budget Committee’s ranking Democrat. He said that during his time working alongside Ryan on the panel, he noted Ryan’s view of federal workers as a privileged class.
“The Ryan budgets have always looked to federal employees as a piggy bank to be used to reduce the deficit,” Van Hollen told the Post.
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