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WASHINGTON , D.C. – Thanks to strong support from members of the Washington-area delegation, led by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va.-8th, Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va.-11th, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., federal employees won’t see furlough notices in their Christmas stockings or anytime soon with today’s passage of the Omnibus Appropriations bill in the House of Representatives.
The Department of Defense announced in November the Army and Marine Corps would run out of money and need to furlough workers as early as February if funding issues could not be resolved before the holiday break.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said he would have to furlough 200,000 civilian employees of the services. Given the 45-day notice required by law, employees dreaded going to the mail box, even in this time of holiday cards and gifts, fearing a pink slip.
Davis, Moran, Hoyer and others urged Gates and President Bush to exhaust all other possible options before furloughing employees. The lawmakers agreed at a Dec. 12 press conference that such a move would be devastating for the employees and their families but also the ability of the government to recruit and retain a top-notch workforce.
“I’m glad it didn’t come to the point where the inability of political leaders to find compromise led to furloughs for federal employees,” Davis said. “Locally, our economy depends on federal and contract employees to maintain the local tax base. But nationally, these are people who are vital to our national security, whose service demands our respect.”
“Federal workers no longer have to worry about being furloughed in time for the holidays,” said Moran. “It was wrong of the Defense Department to use them in such a political manner but I’m happy to report that due to Congressional action, a crisis was averted.”
“The Administration’s threats to furlough thousands of civilian defense employees right before the holidays is indefensible,” said Majority Leader Hoyer. “The fear-mongering must come to an end. Federal employees provide essential services that benefit all Americans, and they should be treated as such.”
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