In the wake of last week’s eleventh hour debt deal, government workers have been left wondering what will become of their jobs in this new age of austerity. While the agreement forged between Congress and the White House does not include specific cuts, many suspect that retirement and health benefits will be slashed in addition to pay and hiring freezes. In an already struggling economy, government employees are going to have to serve more people with fewer and fewer resources.

In a bad situation, we often advise people to “make lemons into lemonade.” Tighter budgets mean cutting out the fat and thinking of creative ways to solve problems. We literally can’t afford the red tape anymore, especially without a source of revenue in the debt agreement. Can public servants find a silver lining by using budget cuts to streamline the government operations? Keep reading →