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Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan delegation of ten Washington-area Members of Congress sent a letter to President Bush today calling for parity in the 2009 pay adjustments for both military and civilian federal employees. Federal pay parity is a long-standing, bipartisan-supported principle that ensures the pay adjustments for the armed services and civilian workforce are fair, equal, and duly compensate federal employees for their dedicated public service. The letter was sent in advance of the President’s 2009 budget proposal, to be sent to Congress on Monday, February 4.
The letter states: We cannot express strongly enough the importance ofcontinuing the tradition of pay parity between military and civilian employees in the coming fiscal year. As we fight the war on terrorism at home and abroad, both the armed services and the federal civilian workforce are integral to fulfilling the role of government for the American people. An equal pay adjustment in 2009 will send the important message that the services civilians and military personnel provide to America every day are highly valued.
The Members of the Washington-area delegation work hard every year to secure pay parity for both military and civilian workers employed by the federal government throughout the nation. Their efforts ensure that all federal employees are recognized as equally valuable assets, indispensible to the operations of our federal government. The advocacy of the delegation proved vital to securing a 3.5 percent adjustment for both civilian and military personnel in 2008.
The Washington-area Members who signed the letter are: Reps. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), Albert R. Wynn (D-Md.), Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), John Sarbanes (D-Md.), Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).
The text of the full letter is below.
January 30, 2008
The Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
As members of Congress representing tens of thousands of federal civilian employees and military personnel, we are writing to ask that you embrace the principle of pay parity for members of the armed services and the civilian Federal workforce in your fiscal year 2009 budget proposal that you will shortly be sending to Congress.
Pay parity is not a new concept. Historically, Congress has expressed strong bipartisan support for parity in pay adjustments between our military and federal civilian sectors, due to the essential service military and civilian employees provide to our nation and the vast wage gap that exists between public and private sector wages.
In nearly every year during the past two decades, there have been equal adjustments in the compensation of members of the uniformed services and the compensation of civilian employees of the United States as a means under the General Schedule system to help achieve pay comparability between the public and private sector.
We cannot express strongly enough the importance ofcontinuing the tradition of pay parity between military and civilian employees in the coming fiscal year. As we fight the war on terrorism at home and abroad, both the armed services and the federal civilian workforce are integral to fulfilling the role of government for the American people. An equal pay adjustment in 2009 will send the important message that the services civilians and military personnel provide to America every day are highly valued. In addition, the federal government is facing a “human capital crisis,” with many of our most experienced employees poised to retire. It is critical that we be able to recruit and retain quality employees in the future.
Thanking you and with kindest personal regards, we are
Sincerely,
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)
Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.)
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.)
Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.)
Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.)
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)
Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Md.)
Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.)
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.)
Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.)
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