U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Thompson unveiled a new policy proposal Wednesday that would order federal workers to contribute more to their retirement pensions and health insurance.
According to a statement released by the Thompson campaign, Thompson, a Republican, cited a report released by the Congressional Budget Office that said federal employee benefits cost, on average, 48 percent more than benefits earned by private-sector employees.
“As a U.S. senator, I will introduce legislation to require additional employee contributions to health insurance and retirement to bring these benefits in line with the private sector,” Thompson said in the statement. “We simply can no longer tolerate federal employee pay and benefits that exceed what the taxpayers earn.”
In the statement, Thompson made comparisons to the measures Gov. Scott Walker implemented through the budget repair law, which required state workers to contribute more to their pension and health insurance. Thompson said the federal budget needs similarly strong action to take place to balance the budget.
According to Chip Englander, campaign manager for U.S. Senate candidate Mark Neumann, Thompson’s announcement follows similar ideas that Neumann proposed months ago.
Englander said Neumann, who is running against Thompson in the Republican primary race, has had the most conservative campaign and has focused on necessary measures to create more jobs.
“Mark Neumann thinks we need to go further,” Englander said. “In fact, back in November, we were cutting federal workforce by 15 percent and freezing federal worker pay.”
Throughout his campaign, Neumann has outlined 92 programs that he would cut to save nearly $2 trillion, Englander said.
Englander said both Thompson and Neumann have good ideas on how to balance the budget. He added plans to order federal workers to pay more into their pensions and health insurance are part of these ideas, and now the plans need to be put into action.
Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Graeme Zielinski said asking federal workers to pay more into their pensions and health insurance is not itself unfair, but he said not all citizens have been asked to make sacrifices.
“It’s very unfair for Thompson to not ask big corporations and billionaires to do anything or give any money and have those making $300 million a year to have a lower tax rate than those making $30,000 a year,” Zielinski said. “Until everyone shares in the sacrifice, it isn’t fair.”
Zielinski said Thompson will not win over many Wisconsin voters with his proposals because the ideas cater to millionaires and not to the majority of middle class workers in Wisconsin.
Zielinski said Thompson has spent much of his campaign defending big corporations and millionaires.
“A greater dedication to big corporations than to the middle class people will shine through on election day,” Zielinski said. “The people of Wisconsin will start to see where Thompson’s priorities lie and that he doesn’t have the people of Wisconsin at heart.”
The campaign of Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, declined to comment on Thompson’s proposal.
