Sen. Thune Brings Freedom to Gov. Competition
Today, the Alliance for Worker Freedom sent the below letter to every Senator urging them to co-sponsor the Freedom from Government Competition Act which allows private sector companies to compete for government contracts:
Dear Senator:
On behalf of the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), representing millions of rank-and-file working Americans and business owners, I urge you to support and cosponsor the Freedom from Government Competition Act (FFGCA) of 2009, to be introduced by Senator John Thune (R-SD).
As you know, the federal government employs 1.6 million people, and more than half of those employees are in commercially related jobs. Yet only a small portion of those employees in commercial jobs have been studied to determine whether government employees or private sector workers can perform these activities more effectively. You are well aware that unfair government-sponsored competition is one of the main problems identified by entrepreneurs at each White House Conference on Small Business.
This new bill will subject government services to market competition, thereby ensuring better valued service to taxpayers. At the same time, the bill allows for in-sourcing after a public-private competitive sourcing analysis concludes that the provision of services by federal employees provides the best value to taxpayers. The Freedom from Government Competition Act will make government smaller and more efficient, while saving American taxpayers up to $28 billion annually.
The bill will not mandate privatization. However, it will provide a process to review every commercial activity in the government. It protects activities that are inherently governmental, instills competition into those that are commercial in nature, and provides several options for the Executive Branch to implement that competition. Moreover, national security will not be compromised. If an activity was founded for national defense or if no private source can provide it, then the government will continue to produce it.
I hope you will join Senator Thune and cosponsor this bill. Your support will make certain that the greatest possible service is offered to American taxpayers. If you would like to be added as a cosponsor to this bill, please have your staff contact Adrian Arnakis at Adrian_Arnakis@thune.senate.gov or call 8-5388.
Sincerely,
Brian M. Johnson, MPA
Executive Director
cc: All U.S. Senators
Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag
Adrian Arnakis
