Keith Hall, director of the Congressional Budget Office, has said lawmakers need to raise revenues above current projected amounts, decrease spending for major benefit programs or combine such measures to optimize government efficiency.
He told the Senate Budget Committee in a written testimony published Wednesday that efforts to address federal deficits should include broader changes in federal tax or spending policies given the aging population and increasing healthcare costs.
Hall testified on government personnel costs and their impact on the federal budget, noting that federal civilian employees account for a declining share of the U.S. workforce at approximately 1.5 percent.
He cited a CBO report that compared federal and private sector salaries from 2011 to 2015.
CBO found that total compensation for federal employees, on average, was 17 percent higher than for their private sector counterparts over the five-year period and the difference between public and private worker compensation varies by education level.
The report also showed that average compensation for federal workers with a high school diploma or less was 53 percent higher than for similar private sector employees, while government workers with a professional degree or doctorate earned 18 percent lower compensation than their private sector counterparts.
