Outsourcing Gov't.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)

Efficiency: The White House plans a push to privatize work done by federal employees, a move that could save billions. But liberal lawmakers and unions hate the idea and are frustrating efforts, taxpayers be damned.

Leading their charge is Sen. Robert Byrd, the old bull who practically paved over West Virginia with your tax dollars. He gripes that the plan will cost jobs at the IRS, Coast Guard and other federal operations his state has annexed.

So Byrd, ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, and other lawmakers are throwing up roadblocks to protect such agencies against competition from the private sector. Even some Republicans are breaking ranks to join the resistance.

How can the White House fight back? For starters, the Office of Management and Budget -- which is pressing agencies to put more federal jobs out for private bid, a process known as "competitive sourcing" -- must improve its outreach to Congress.

New leadership may help in that area. David Safavian, recently confirmed as head of the OMB's Office of Federal Procurement Policy, used to work for a GOP congressman and knows his way around the Hill. He vows to be more aggressive in bidding out federal jobs to small private contractors. Also, President Bush must use his bully pulpit to educate the public about the benefits of competitive sourcing.

Each year, agencies pay billions for commercial services, from building maintenance to computer support. Competitive sourcing asks them to compare costs of having civil servants do the work vs. relying on private contractors. Whoever can do it cheaper gets the job. The OMB says $7 billion might be saved each year if these jobs are "competed."

This is where public-sector unions get tetchy. Federal civilian workers earn on average more than private-sector workers, and their unions don't want to ...