ICE Sequestration Update

From: ICE AFGE NATIONAL COUNCIL 118
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 12:49 PM
To: Council118BList
Subject: ICE Council - Sequestration Update

Sent on behalf of Chris Crane, ICE Council President:

The National ICE Council just completed a phone conference with Radha Sekar, ICE Chief Financial Officer, regarding the impact of sequestration for ICE employees.  At this point the information is limited, and we strongly caution that information regarding sequestration is not final and therefore all information is subject to change.  However, the following captures the points provided to the union today.

·         ICE plans to release a broadcast message to ICE employees regarding sequestration which outlines the significant details of ICE’s proposed spending cuts.  ICE intends to release the broadcast by Friday, March 1, 2013, but specified that release is dependent on approval/authorization of the broadcast by DHS.
·         ICE anticipates a 6% cut throughout its budget over the next seven months (March 1-Sept. 30, 2013).  In total, ICE must reduce its spending by $374M in FY 2013.
·         ICE’s sequestration plan does not include a furlough of ICE employees.  However, this plan must be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Congress for approval, so the decision/proposal is not final.
·         Of the $374M in proposed ICE spending cuts, ICE anticipates that $84M will be cut from custody/detention related operations.  The remaining spending cuts ($290M) will be made across all ICE programs and will include cuts to training, fuel, travel, fleet, conferences, and service contracts, etc.
·         ICE would not provide details but did specify that Overtime, AUO, and FLSA would also be reviewed for possible cuts.
Again, while this plan appears promising, at least in terms of not furloughing employees, this information is not set in stone and could change.  Additionally, sequestration is not the only obstacle facing ICE employees in the upcoming months.  The Continuing Resolution (CR) that currently funds the government in the absence of a Congressional budget is set to expire on March 27, 2013.  If Congress fails to reach an agreement to continue funding of the government before the CR expires, a government shutdown (separate from sequestration) could take place and could result in the furlough of Federal employees from any Federal agency, to include ICE.    
As with occurrences of looming furloughs in years past, we advise that employees ignore all rumors and speculation, whether it’s in the workplace or on television, and instead stay alert to updates from verified and reliable sources with concrete information specific to ICE ERO employees.