“Overpaid and Underworked”

The Washington Post has a sympathetic article today on federal workers who consider themselves unfair victims of the sequester. Unfortunately, the article does not consider data and evidence, instead characterizing criticism of federal worker compensation as mere assertion, jealous emotionalism, or politicking.

Federal employees are upset about “perceptions” of government work, according to the people interviewed for the story. They have to defend themselves from “arguments” about excessive compensation and short working hours. They are “the target of popular rage” because the private sector is “frustrated, even jealous.” There is a “drumbeat” of negativity, “ritual denunciation,” and “bashing” of federal workers.

These sentiments supposedly come from “talk radio and websites devoted to bashing the government.” They’re driven by “a small minority of vociferous people.”

A reality check is needed here. Numerous independent analyses—including from The Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Congressional Budget Office—find that compensation for federal employees is higher than for comparable private-sector workers. The Government Accountability Office recently summarized the results of these studies