Year in Review: 2017 and Its Impact on Federal Employees (by Ralph R. Smith – FedSmith)
We have reviewed the most widely read articles on our website for the past year. This is a good indicator of the issues capturing the greatest attention of readers—whether the interest is due to a positive response (such as a raise) or a negative response (such as a hiring freeze). The assessment that jumps out in reviewing the most popular items of interest in the federal community is an overriding concern about pay, benefits and job security.
10 Significant Events for 2017
Here is our list of the top ten issues in 2017 for the federal employee. Feel free to add to the list using your own judgment in the comments section following the article.
1. A New President in Town (Washington, DC, that is)
President Trump assumed office in January 2017. Federal employee unions staunchly and loudly supported his opponent in the general election. Federal employees gave money in amounts overwhelmingly in favor of Democrats and, in particular, to Hillary Clinton, instead of to Donald Trump.
Despite polls and prognostications in the main stream media that led many to believe another President Clinton was a sure bet to win the election, the man promising to “Drain the Swamp” came out on top. Perhaps the “silent majority” cited by President Richard Nixon held sway in 2016. In any event, the final result was that Donald Trump won the electoral college tally by a margin of 306 to 232.
There was little doubt the very liberal philosophy of the Obama administration was going to be replaced by a different approach and new assumptions underlying policies of the Trump administration. While it is still early in the administration, 2017 clearly signaled to the federal workforce that President Trump actually intended to implement the type of policies he championed during the campaign.
