<http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=0D7209E9-18FE-70B2-A8FD8AA53EF3 C1D3> http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=0D7209E9-18FE-70B2-A8FD8AA53EF3C 1D3
Dem aides could face massive layoffs By: Erika Lovley September 14, 2010 04:46 AM EDT If Republicans <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/Republicans> sweep the House and win key Senate seats in November, its not just elected Democrats who will be unemployed more than 1,500 Democratic staffers could lose their jobs, with layoffs stretching from low-wage staff assistants to six-figure committee aides. While turnover and job loss is a fact of life for those who serve in Congress, a change in party control can be dramatic as committee funding is slashed for the party falling out of power and hundreds of high-salary jobs switch <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42118.html> hands. The layoffs start with election losers. Each House office employs about 18 people, and each Senate office employs about 34. But the heaviest job loss happens in committees, which employ hundreds of highly paid experts and attorneys. In the House, the majority controls 66 percent of the committee budget, meaning if Democrats <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/Democrats> shift to the minority, they would control only about one-third of committee funds, potentially leaving hundreds of committee staffers unemployed if Republicans sweep the House. While there are no signs yet of a Hill-wide stampede, some Democratic aides say they are bracing for the worst. I think people underestimate how disastrous this could be, said one House Democratic aide, whose member faces an uphill climb. The job pool could shrink tremendously, and then the available jobs will be in very high demand. All sorts of people who are overqualified for things could be looking for jobs. LegiStorm, which tracks congressional salaries and staffing, estimates there are 1,500 people employed by House committees, and 1,000 of those currently work for Democrats. If the Democrats lose 40 seats and control of the House, it would shrink the partys committee staffing percentage levels by half, eliminating roughly 500 jobs. POLITICO did not estimate committee numbers for the Senate because the Senate is not expected to change power. When party control has changed in both chambers, the job casualties were brutal. In 2006, when Democrats won the House and Senate, approximately 5,000 to 6,000 Republican aides lost their jobs. And in 1994, when Republicans gained control, a few thousand Democratic aides many who had spent careers on the Hill were forced into unemployment. Overall, there are roughly 18,000 workers on Capitol Hill, including those in nonpolitical support positions. Its similar to a plant closing. About one-third of your colleagues lose their jobs, said former Hill aide John Edgell, who lost his job as a Democratic aide when Republicans swept the Hill in 1994. He said he struggled for months to find a job. You go through seven stages of grief ... Your two best friends become Jim Beam and Johnny Walker. Meanwhile, Republicans who have been on the sidelines for the past four years are brushing up résumés for a return to the Hill. Bush-era <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42106.html> GOP aides are slowly returning, in some cases taking lower-level jobs as place holders, hoping for the field to open in November. After working on her father Roy Browns Republican bid for Montana governor and other Republican campaigns, Katie Brown recently landed in Washington, eyeing November as an opportunity to launch her Hill career. Although shes in her late 20s and holds a Ph.D., Brown has opted to take an internship with a Republican senator, betting that Republicans will regain control of the House next Congress. Were waiting until the elections are over, and then we expect there will be a lot of jobs, Brown said. I have friends with two masters degrees who are doing internships, as well. Its rough going right now, but we think that will change. Most congressional aides continue to have employment through January after an election, even if their bosses lose. And Senate offices often provide severances to staffers whose bosses lose their jobs. But many who wait until after November to job hunt may find a saturated job applicant pool both on and off the Hill. To that end, staff loyalty is paramount on the Hill, and most aides keep their job hunts under wraps while working vigorously to keep their bosses afloat. Staffers whose bosses have announced retirements kicked off a job hunt months ago, stepping ahead of others who wont know until election night whether they will be unemployed. Michelle Begnoche, press secretary to retiring Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), for example, left the Hill earlier this summer for a job at the Michigan Film Office. In the two months before the election, staffers who work for vulnerable members of Congress most likely will be brushing up résumés and hedging their bets. Its something that constantly nags at you, recalled one former Republican Senate press secretary who lost his job in 2006 when the Democrats took power. Its a constant increased level of stress that you have. You can try to help them win, but if it doesnt turn out, your boss is out of a job and you are, too. You can go from working with a senior member of Congress ... to getting a not very exciting job at a trade association. For younger aides with less work experience, a crowded job pool can mean they are forced to leave the Hill entirely. Political experts say this years orphaned aides will still have opportunities to seek in the Obama administration an option that may have been less plentiful for GOP aides in 2006 the sixth year of the Bush administration. While working for an individual member of Congress has always been less secure, committee staffers enjoy longer runs. Committees that have separate majority and minority staffs on the House side generally split funding, with two-thirds going to the majority and one-third going to the minority. Beyond committees, there are several areas where Democrats would no longer have staff if they lose control of the House, including the speakers office and many administration jobs. If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were to lose her gavel, jobs among the dozens of additional support staff from her leadership office could be on the line. Minority Leader John Boehner and GOP House leadership receive roughly 40 percent of the leadership budget funding, while Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer receive 60 percent.
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