WTS International is voicing our strong opposition to amendment number 1296 offered to the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill that would eliminate the salary of the Acting Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

This amendment sets a dangerous practice of “salary-stripping” that has implications beyond NHTSA, including other federal agencies that may now or in the future have an Acting Administrator.  This precedent would allow future Congresses to withhold pay as a political tactic over policy disagreements.

This amendment would require the Acting Administrator to work without pay, putting the agency’s mission at risk during a time when over 40,000 people are dying on American roads each year.

Passage of this amendment would directly impact the ability to attract diverse leaders to all levels of government.  Recruiting and retaining top talent requires reassurance that individuals will be paid for their hard work. Filling these crucial government positions will only become more difficult if a person’s salary - and therefore, their livelihood - is used as a political negotiating chip and no longer guaranteed.

Sara M. Stickler
President and CEO
Women’s Transportation Seminar International (WTS International)