A House chairman plans to advance a measure to reduce the executive branch workforce by 10 percent, opening a new front in the majority’s fight with Democrats and labor unions over fiscal priorities.

Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said he expects broad support in his party — and from some Democrats — for a bill (HR 3029) his panel could mark up as early as Nov. 3. It would require the president, the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management to reduce the Sept. 30, 2011, number of federal employees by 10 percent over the next three years.

The bill, sponsored by freshman Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., is intended to trim about 200,000 positions from the federal civilian workforce. An Issa aide said the measure would not apply to Congress.

Departments and agencies could hire one full-time employee for every three who depart, though the restriction is not exactly airtight. The president could waive the hiring limit in cases of war, national security concerns, agency efficiency concerns or emergency situations that threaten lives, health, public safety, property or the environment.

Democrats and labor unions, including the National Treasury Employees Union and the American Federation of Government Employees, oppose the measure as overly broad.

“It’s a bad way to manage. It doesn’t distinguish between programs that need cuts and those that are doing a great job,” said John Palguta, vice president for policy at the Partnership for Public Service, an organization that advocates better management of federal agencies. Palguta said the measure could increase pressure to hire outside contractors.

The legislation poses a dilemma for some Republicans. “I’ve got to take a look at it,” said Frank R. Wolf, whose Northern Virginia district is home to many federal workers. Tom Marino, whose northeastern Pennsylvania district includes the Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex, is considering offering an alternative (HR 1779) that would freeze hiring with exemptions for law enforcement, postal workers, some executives and seasonal workers.

“We need to be compassionate,” Marino said, adding that he would also support the workforce reduction measure.

While most Democrats vow to fight the hiring reductions, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland said a 10 percent workforce reduction target could be used as a benchmark for shrinking some federal programs. “It’s not about cutting. It’s about what to cut,” he said.

Mulvaney said efforts to water down his bill are likely to fail. “There’s an appetite here for this more aggressive cut,” he said.

Mulvaney is working with Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to advance the measure either as a stand-alone bill or as an amendment to other legislation. The Senate version of the proposal has 18 co-sponsors, all Republicans and including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Minority Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona.

Former Sen. Alan K. Simpson, R-Wyo., who co-chaired President Obama’s fiscal commission, embraced efforts to reduce the federal work force as part of a comprehensive deficit-reduction strategy, but stopped short of endorsing the House bill. “You need a cannon. You need a howitzer. Rifle shots won’t get you there,” Simpson said.

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