AMERICAN FED OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AFL-CIO

FY 2025 Agriculture Appropriations - Lobbied against the contracting out of federal employee jobs and potential food and public risks. Lobbied against funding cuts of the meat and poultry inspection program. Lobbied against further expanding the program of putting plant employees, not inspectors, in charge of quality control and contamination. Lobbied for an increase in FSIS's budget for full-time employees in order to fill all current vacancies of Food Inspectors and Consumer Safety Inspectors. Lobbied to fully fund the budgets of the Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute on Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for full-time employees in order to fill all current vacancies and return ERS and NIFA to a full staffing complement. Lobbied to prohibit funds from being spent to create a modernized beef slaughter inspection system or issue line speed waivers to beef, poultry, or hog slaughter plants. Lobbied for USDA to improve conditions for workers at the Beltsville Agriculture Research Center. Lobbied S. 272 and H.R. 805 of the "Industrial Agricultural Accountability Act" led by Sen. Booker and Rep. McGovern. Lobbied in support of H.R. 8994, the "Pigs and Public Health Act of 2024." Lobbied on the Farm Bill to ensure more labor friendly provisions. Lobbied for passage of H.R. 9747, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 to continue to fund the federal government through December 20, 2024.

FY 2025 Foreign Operations Appropriations --Lobbied on the provisions related to the pay, benefits, staffing levels, and job security of Department of State, U.S. Agency on International Aid (USAID), the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the U.S. Agency on Global Media (USAGM) and the Development Finance Corporation (DFC). Lobbied for the State Department to remove an employee hosting and writing hate content on an extreme hate website. Lobbied for the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to have more employee input on their reorganization proposal and to have increased oversight of hiring practices and improved whistleblower protections. Lobbied against the use of generative AI voices at the USAGM. Lobbied against any potential RIF at USAGM. Lobbied to increase the administration cap at the MCC in the FY 2025 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. Lobbied against changes at the Voice of American at USAGM that would have the agency ditch its traditional short-wave broadcasts in favor of relying on social media. Lobbied in support of S. 4476, the State Department Integrity and Transparency Act, to strengthen the State Department by reducing the number of political appointees and creating more civil service positions. Lobbied for passage of H.R. 9747, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 to continue to fund the federal government through December 20, 2024.

FY 2025 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations - Lobbied for increased funding for railroad safety inspectors to 400 inspectors and to add new staff to carry out multidisciplinary safety audits. This represents all inspectors in Occupational Series GS-2121, including specialties of hazardous materials, motive power and equipment, operating practices, signal and train control and track inspectors as well as the grade crossing and trespasser outreach inspectors which are not in the series. Lobbied in support of $160,000 in funding for each position. Lobbied for report language directing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to review position classification standards of railroad safety inspectors to reflect the increased technological requirements of their positions. Lobbied on contracting out, pay, benefits, and working conditions of federal employees in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Lobbied to prevent the aggressive expansion of AI in the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and ensure there is adequate oversight over existing AI use. Lobbied to highlight bad faith bargaining at HUD. Lobbied in support of diversity, equity and inclusion and disability accommodations. Lobbied for passage of H.R. 9747, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 to continue to fund the federal government through December 20, 2024.

FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 7070 / S. 4638): Lobbied in support of a pay raise for Fiscal Year 2025 for Defense Department civil service employees. Lobbied in support of maintaining minimal staffing requirements for Department of Defense firefighters at military installations. Lobbied in support of ending the five-year limit for overseas Defense Department civil service positions. Lobbied in support of increasing military leave accrual and accumulation for federal civil service employees who are in the National Guard or military reserves. Lobbied in support of making reforms to improve Department of Defense child care centers. Lobbied against an amendment to establish a fiscal commission as part of the FY25 National Defense Authorization act. Lobbied against an amendment that would prohibit the payment of annuities to Defense Department civilian employees convicted of certain offenses. Lobbied against proposals in the House and Senate NDAA to expand the Department of Defenses direct hire authority for vacant civil service positions. Lobbied against proposals in the House and Senate NDAA to limit or eliminate offices of diversity, equity, and accessibility (DEIA) in the Department of Defense. Lobbied against proposals to restrict the authority of federal agencies to maintain alternative workplace arrangements. FY25 Defense Appropriations (H.R. 8774): Lobbied in support of language included in previous Defense Appropriations bill prohibiting the Defense Department from reducing its civilian workforce absent an analysis of the effects of such reduction on workload and military readiness of the armed forces. Lobbied against any proposal to prohibit military exchanges and commissaries from selling Chinese-made products. Lobbied against an amendment authorizing direct hire authority for any position supporting the military mission or posture in the Indo-Pacific region. Lobbied in opposition to an amendment which would have prohibited telework and remote work for certain DoD employees and contractors. Lobbied against an amendment prohibiting funding for Executive Order 14019, relating to Promoting Access to Voting. Lobbied in opposition to amendments to reduce the salaries of various DoD officials. Lobbied against an amendment prohibiting the use of funds to carry out a mask mandate regarding the spread of COVID-19 on military instillations. Lobbied against an amendment to eliminate funding for important diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) programs at the Defense Department. Lobbied in support of amendments to ensure that federal civilian employees who serve in the DC National Guard are treated the same as all other federal civilian employees who serve in the National Guard. Lobbied for passage of H.R. 9747, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 to continue to fund the federal government through December 20, 2024.

Lobbied Congress to require Federal Bureau of Prisons to provide safe staffing and workplace safety measures for correctional officers. Lobbied in support of legislation and funding to address exposure to toxic substances including fentanyl, K2 and spice sent through the mail to BoP facilities. Lobbied in support of funding a 25% Special Salary Rate for BOP employees in the FY2025 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill. Lobbied in opposition to augmentation and in support of full staffing, funding and workplace safety for correctional officers and all BOP staff. Lobbied in support of time and a half true overtime for BOP nurses FY 2025 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations. Lobbied for higher funding levels for Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and continued prohibition of closure of minimum-security camps; lobbied for funding to hire adequate numbers of correctional staff; end the use of augmentation to compensate for lack of hiring correctional officer positions; alleviating overcrowding at high-security institutions; need to increase unit officer staff at high security institutions; and reduce the use of BOP contract prisons. Lobbied in support of H.R. 130 and S. 459, the "Thin Blue Line Act," which would make murdering a law enforcement officer an aggravated factor in sentencing for a capital crime. Lobbied in support of S. 529, "Eric's Law" which would allow the empaneling of a new jury if a jury fails to reach a unanimous verdict in a trial involving the murder of a law enforcement officer. Lobbied in support of full multilingual opportunities and adequate compensation for employees at the Small Business Administration. Lobbied in support of H.R. 3019, Federal Prison Oversight Act. Lobbied in support of S. 4142, the Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act introduced by Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to crack down on the smuggling of contraband cellphones into federal prisons by upgrading the charge for such smuggling from a misdemeanor offense to a felony. Lobbied in support of H.R. 8298 / S. 4327, the Equal Remedies Act of 2024. Lobbied in support of increased funding for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for salaries and expenses (S&E) and buildings and facilities (B&F). Lobbied in support of increased funding for BOP Salary Special Pay Table Increase. Lobbied in opposition to the use of augmentation or reassignment at BOP. Lobbied in support of hiring additional correctional officers. Lobbied in support of increasing Unit Officer Staff at High Security Institutions. Lobbied in support of report language to direct the Bureau of Prisons to give nurses full time-and-a-half overtime pay. Lobbied in support of increased funding for staffing at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Lobbied in support of Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS) to include report language stating that no funds shall be used to transfer functions of JPATS Las Vegas, Nevada Hub to Kansas City, Missouri. Lobbied in support of increased funding for the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Lobbied for passage of H.R. 9747, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 to continue to fund the federal government through December 20, 2024.