The civil service protection program is allowing bad employees of the federal government to keep their jobs, continue to get paid leave while under investigation, and appeal their firing.
A CBS report alleged that even though employees would have been fired in the private sector for misconduct or poor performance, the administrative bureaucracy of the federal government ties the hands of agencies that wish to part ways with errant employees.
A top-level employee at the EPA was caught watching porn for hours every day for years. Even though investigators found 7,000 files of porn on his computer, the EPA still cannot fire this man. He is now on paid leave, collecting taxpayer money.
"I actually have to work through the administrative process, as you know," EPA administrator Gina McCarthy told Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah) when asked why she had not fired the employee.
"There is a big difference between trying to protect against that and what we have today," Max Stier said.
Similar stories of hostile and reckless employees appealing their firing with success prove that the problem is across the board for the federal government.
In total, Stier said he believes these policies cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars every week.
"We're going to pass a series of pieces of legislation that deal with some of these specific things, like pornography, but, at some point, it's just common decency and a recognition that if you're not doing your job and you're creating a hostile work environment, you have to go," Chaffetz said.