Where McCain, Obama stand on key federal issues

A look at the two presidential candidates’ campaign promises and records in 12 areas that affect federal employees.

When it comes to government reform, the agendas of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and GOP rival John McCain have a few things in common. Both candidates want to make government more transparent, find and eliminate federal programs that aren't working, and set an example for the rest of the country by building a federal fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles.

But in other areas such as collective bargaining, the candidates differ significantly. We combed through their campaign Web sites, speeches, vote records, and responses to questions from union officials and Government Executive reporters Robert Brodsky and Elizabeth Newell, and compiled a summary of where each stands on issues of importance to government workers. We intend to update it as we come across other interesting information.

To view the chart, click here.

To view our full special report on Campaign 2008, click here.