Government waste is under a microscope under the new Trump administration.
One of the biggest drivers of waste are federal employee union bosses.
And Government union bosses are furious at this Republican bill.
Doing union work on government time
Taking on the government unions will be one of the best ways the new administration can cut government waste.
Government unions demand excessive salaries and work to increase the size of the federal workforce.
One of the ways government union bosses fleece the taxpayers is through so-called “official time.”
Through this scheme, government workers spend their time working on union business rather than the job they were hired to do, all while on the clock.
Senator Joni Ernst and Representative Scott Perry introduced the “Protecting Taxpayers’ Wallets Act of 2025,” which would require the unions to pay back the money spent on union activity.
“Public money should be spent to benefit taxpayers, not bureaucrats,” Ernst said. “Every cent of Americans’ hard-earned money should be spent on them, not negotiating cushy benefits for federal employees. I am getting Washington back to work and ending the subsidies for federal unions.”
“Forcing the American Taxpayer to foot the bill for federal union organizing is outrageous and absurd,” Perry told the Daily Caller. “If federal employees and resources are going to be used for union tasks, the unions should foot the bill.”
According to data from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), government employees spent 2.6 million hours, the equivalent of three centuries on union activity.
The bill would require unions to keep track of the amount of time employees spend on union activities and pay back the government for the time.
Ernst brought to light several abuses under this “official time.”
One employee had moved to Florida and was working in real estate while being paid by the government, and another collected payments while being in jail for drunk driving.
Ernst cited another case in which a worker with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was receiving locality pay for Washington, D.C., while living in Florida.
Union bosses have also made use of at least $24 million in office space and supplies paid for by taxpayers.
The bill will likely face major opposition from Democrats.
Government unions provide millions of dollars in campaign cash for Democrat politicians, and unions provide them with campaign volunteers who phonebank and knock on doors for them.
It’s likely that some of these campaign activities are being paid for by taxpayers through “official time.”
Democrats in Congress then vote with the unions on nearly everything the union bosses demand.
But taking on the unions will be essential if Republicans are serious about doing away with government waste.
Government unions shouldn’t be allowed to collectively bargain in the first place, as they are essentially sitting at both sides of the bargaining table when they have so many politicians in their pockets.
But doing away with “official time” would be a major step in the right direction.
