AP: Justice Dept. Hit With Hiring Freeze

[Eugene]

Justice Dept. Hit With Hiring Freeze
By LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press Writer

January 12, 2007, 5:48 AM EST

WASHINGTON -- A hiring freeze has hit two federal crime fighting agencies and a
third has slowed its recruitment efforts because of congressional budget delays
that some officials say threaten efforts to combat terrorism and violent crime.

The hiring crunch is largely the result of Congress' failure to approve the
Justice Department's 2007 spending request. Lawmakers who oversee spending bills
are now negotiating how much -- if at all -- to increase government spending.
In the meantime, the agencies are being funded according to last year's budget
levels.

-snip-

* The Drug Enforcement Agency. A hiring freeze is expected to last through 2007,
said chief financial officer Frank Kalder. Although more than 400 agents and
support staff are expected to quit or retire this year, Kalder said the DEA might
have to furlough additional employees if Congress does not give it about $95
million more than it did in 2006. Layoffs are not being considered.

-snip-

* The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Agency officials are
"not hiring and are not back-filling open positions," said spokeswoman Sheree Mixell.
The ATF says it needs $71 million more than last year just to sustain its workforce
of 4,900 employees.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-crime-fighter-freeze,0,5602082.story

[wakeme2008]

1. Well the Dems will do the work that the Repugs could not

:)

[rodeodance]

2. tighten the purse strings like millions of people are doing

[cap]

3. I hope the Democrats look at the wholesale corruption of the DOJ

before they release a dime.

[lapfog_1]

4. "The ATF says it needs $71 million more than

last year to sustain its workforce of 4900 employees.

I just love doing the math... that's an AVERAGE of a $14,489 per employee INCREASE. I just don't understand that. Even if their expenses (gasoline, travel, hotel bills, bullets, cute ATF logo'd jackets, new storm-trooper uniforms, more health care as they get their asses shot off, etc), I still find it hard to come up with an increase of $14.5K per employee.

Wage inflation due to competing offers from Iraqi merc outfits?

[EST]

5. Probably the one thing the right wing congress got right , even

though unintentionally. De-funding the DEA, even reducing its funding to pre-2000 levels will do more for American's freedoms than a lot of other things.
THere is a certain cause and effect relationship between terrorism and warring on drug traffickers that lawmakers are apparently totally oblivious of.

When so much money is wasted on combating drugs and so many millions of people are locked up, the price of drugs rises to astronomical levels, making them, witness the crack epidemic largely brought about by the CIA, highly attractive to any organization seeking large amounts of cash.

People don't deal drugs, at least above the tiny, hand-to-hand, in order to get more drugs; they deal drugs for the money. The war on drugs is a self perpetuating operation, driving up the cost of drugs and attracting ever larger participation among the unscrupulous and greedy. (Sounds like politicians, doesn't it?)

[LiberalFighter]

6. Self Delete (Dupe)

[High Plains]

7. They ought to totally defund the DEA.

A more useless and pernicious agency I cannot imagine. Shut it down and make those guys look for an honest living.