| Trump’s campaign statement did not provide an estimated saving, but said “a smaller federal workforce will save money, be more accountable, and be forced to become more efficient and responsive, especially at departments like the Veterans Administration.” Federal employees didn’t like Ryan’s proposal and Trump’s won’t fare any better among them. Frustrated customers of agencies that did cut services, like the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security, also would be hit by a freeze. “Trump’s proposal to impose a broad, ill-defined hiring freeze is more evidence that he is unprepared and unfit to be the next president of the United States.,” said J. David Cox Sr., president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal union. “He has no clue how critical public servants are to caring for our veterans, protecting our communities, ensuring hard-earned benefits are delivered, supporting our Armed Forces, and much more.” Those workers are serving more taxpayers than ever. The federal workforce has about 2.1 million civilians, 85 percent of whom work outside the Washington area. Compared to growth in the nation’s population, the workforce “has declined dramatically over the past several decades, with occasional upticks due, for example, to military conflicts and the administration of the Census,” according to the Obama administration’s fiscal 2017 budget documents. “Since the 1960s, the U.S. population increased by 67 percent, the private sector workforce increased by 136 percent, and State and local government workforces (excluding education workers) increased by 127 percent, while the size of the Federal workforce rose about 10 percent.” Trump’s calls for a hiring freeze didn’t get into nuances like the federal workforce size falling well behind population growth. For Cox, Trump’s plan is another indication of how government workers would fare under him. “He has a record of disrespecting, demeaning and failing his employees,” Cox said, adding that “there’s no doubt he would continue those habits as the leader of the Executive Branch.” Read more: [Van Hollen: Ryan plans ‘very hostile to federal employees’] [Two federal unions cling to Trump, despite everything] [Christie on Trump’s plan to fire feds faster and clean out Obama’s people] | 