Federal employees enjoy perks that make their private-sector counterparts envious. Higher pay, attractive health insurance and free transportation to and from work are big draws for federal workers in Washington, D.C.
But starting Jan. 1, it might actually cost something for a federal employee to get to work. That’s because the taxpayer-funded public transit subsidy of $230 per month — which an estimated 170,000 federal employees use — will be reduced to $120 per month.
That’s still enough to cover a short commute on Metro, but federal employees who live in the Maryland or Virginia suburbs might need to shell out their own money. About 90,000 people — both federal employees and private-sector workers — receive more than $120 per month.
The extra money was made possible by President Obama’s stimulus law. It softened the blow when Metro hiked fares this summer. Many federal workers never felt the increase because it was absorbed by their government transit benefit.
But now with the federal government offering less money to its employees for Metro, MARC and VRE, public-transit advocates are concerned many will hit the roads rather than the rails. That prompted Metro to launch a lobbying campaign urging Congress to keep the transit perk at $230 per month.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.) have sponsored legislation to do just that, but it’s unlikely to move in the lame-duck Congress and won’t have much chance of passing once Republicans take over the House in January.
That’s for the best. Federal employees are already earning 22 percent more per hour on average than private-sector workers. Add their lavish benefits and they’re paid approximately 30 percent to 40 percent more in total compensation.
Taxpayers can hardly afford to pay for their transportation as well, especially at a cost of $331 million a year.
