OPENING STATEMENT OF REP. PAT SCHROEDER CHAIRWOMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON CIVIL SERVICE AT HEARINGS ON SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP95-00535R000300080029-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 6, 2013
• Sequence Number: 29
• Publication Date: April 13, 1984
• Content Type: MISC

Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/08/06: CIA-RDP95-00535R000300080029-5
OPENING STATEMENT OF REP. PAT SC ',OEDER
CHAIRWOMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON CIVIL SERVICE
AT HEARINGS ON SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE
APRIL 13, 1984
Today is the final day of hearings this Subcommittee will
hold as part of its five year review of the Senior Executive
Service. It has been a long process, but I believe it will result
in a comprehensive and useful record. I have no doubt that the
SES will he continued. Nevertheless, these hearings have
convinced me that we have two very serious problems relating to
the SES, in particular, and the entire career workforce, in
general.
The first problem is that our mix of political appointees and
career civil servants is becoming poisoned by too many of the
former and too few of the latter. Not only does the presence of
so many political appointees effectively preclude skilled public
servants from reaching the top of their profession, it also means
that poorly-trained, inexperienced, and short-term appointees set
policies which career people must implement, whether those
policies make any sense or not. Relations between career and
political people have deteriorated. The SES did not cause this
problem and the fact that it has gotten worse over the five years
of existence of the SES is probably coincidental. Still, for the
SES to achieve its objectives, this persistent problem must be
addressed.
The second problem is that we do a lousy job in nurturing and
rewarding civil servants. Most immediately, this has to do with
capping pay, cutting bonuses, and threatening retirement programs.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/08/06: CIA-RDP95-00535R000300080029-5
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/08/06: CIA-RDP95-00535R000300080029-5
The more damaging error, however, is in undermining the morale and
self-confidence of senior executives by denigrating their
performance and cutting them out of decision making. Any employer
who treats its employees poorly is soon goirig to end up with poor
employees. We are rapidly moving in this direction.
The Subcommittee will be working on legislation and writing
reports on the Senior Executive Service, ,ased on the results of
these hearings. So, if anyone has anything to add, the time is
now. The hearings record will close in one month.
Our first panel of witnesses consists of three charter
members of the SES who have received bonuses from both President
Reagan and President Carter.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/08/06: CIA-RDP95-00535R000300080029-5