Federal Workers Have Suffered Enough, Says Congressman

Poor babies. Has anybody mentioned to the bloated government workforce that we're broke?

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) on Thursday suggested political leaders should look elsewhere beside the federal workforce for ways to avoid the fiscal cliff and reduce the deficit.

Speaking during a conference call with reporters, the congressman, a ranking member of the House Budget Committee, said federal employees have already sacrificed $103 billion over the past two years in the form of a two-year pay freeze, reduced and delayed pay increases for 2013 and an increase in new-hire pension contributions.

"Every Republican proposal that has come through Congress during the past two years has taken a meat axe to federal employees," Van Hollen said. "Others have not been asked to contribute anything, including millionaires and high-income earners."