Posted on 12/11/2007 1:24:44 PM PST by STARWISE
The Defense Department has officially notified Congress that the department will begin the furlough process for civilian employees of the Army, the Marine Corps and the combatant commands.
Congressional leaders have released a letter from Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England dated Dec. 7. In it, England gave legislators the required 45-day notice before beginning furloughs.
The furloughs will become necessary if Congress does not pass a global war on terror spending bill. “Without GWOT funding, only operations and maintenance funds in the base budget are available to cover war-related costs,” England said in the letter. “O&M funds also cover salary costs for a large number of Army and Marine Corps civilian employees.”
England reminded legislators of a letter he sent Nov. 8 to explain what would happen without supplemental war funding. “I emphasized that without this critical funding, the department would have no choice but to deplete key appropriations accounts in order to sustain essential military operations around the world,” he wrote in his Dec. 7 letter.
The House passed a $50 billion bill last month with funds to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it included legislation that directs the president to withdraw most combat troops from Iraq by December 2008. The measure failed in the Senate. President Bush has vowed to veto any bill that includes a troop-withdrawal timetable.
England’s letter begins a process that could affect 100,000 civilian employees. “Specific furlough notices will be issued in mid-January,” England said in his letter. “The department will also begin notifying appropriate labor organizations.”
If the legislation does not pass, the Army will be the first service affected, in mid-February, and the Marine Corps about a month later. The services will be forced to divert operations and maintenance funds to continuing combat operations. Civilian employees in the United States and overseas would be affected.
“The furlough will negatively affect our ability to execute base operations and training activities,” England wrote. “More importantly, it will affect the critical support our civilian employees provide to our warfighters -- support which is key to our current operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Congress has passed a $460 billion Defense Appropriations Act for 2008, but this is not enough to fund ongoing operations.
England told the lawmakers the Defense Department has no choice but to begin the furlough process. “While these actions will be detrimental to the nation, there are no other viable alternatives without additional congressional funding,” he wrote.
*snip*
England told the lawmakers the Defense Department has no choice but to begin the furlough process. “While these actions will be detrimental to the nation, there are no other viable alternatives without additional congressional funding,” he wrote.
~~~~~
So freaking despicable of these political tyrants.
Non essential people got 5 days off and later were payed for it. Essential personel had to work and got nothing extra. Klinton took money out of the employees 401k funds to pay the government then payed it back. Can you imagine what would happen to private company taking 401k monies?
I am with you in spirit DOD but I am retired this time.
Evil congresscritters ~~PING!
Hope they start with CA, PA, MA, DE, NY, NM, IL, MD and other RAT strongholds.
I’d also get serious on closing bases in those states.
BTTT
No pressure here. The Dems will not care ... until Organized Labor Leaders begin blasting them to task in the MSM.
Bet the funding bill is passed before the donkeys go home for Christmas. Dengy harry has already spoken out on this...doesn’t want Bush bashing congress while on vacation because the funding bill for the Defense Dept wasn’t approved...besides, most of the layoffs will be in donkey districts...and it’d be the majorities fault...military contractors will be laid off before Christmas...that too will be in mostly donkey districts...
I hope they do. And I sometimes wonder if they give ANY
thought to the military, military family and military
supporter VOTES out there that would be severely at
risk, should they do this dastardly deed.
Yes it is!!!
I thought they had backed down and were going to fund the troops? Are they planning to sneak any underhanded prize into it this time? Remember, last timem at the last minute they raised minimum wage over 2.00/hour in the DoD bill.
Civil servants got paid for their time off. Contractors did not. They were forced to take vacation time or LWOP.
I think that there will be no need to do so as the traitors have been defeated again and they said that they are going to approve the funds for the war without any conditions.
It would be nice if we could withhold our taxes; That was the reason they were instituted after all.
They should shut down mil installations (and request the companies that manufacture parts and services move as well),in blue states. Since they like to reap the rewards (indeed most of their reps that cry no war hold defense stocks and cater to their lobbyists), and don’t give a damn about the military. Let them lose the military and jobs... see who would be the first crying for Homeland Security money and Gov. help... let the illegals they wanted to spend the weekend in Congress over defend and take the jobs. I wonder if someone’s in the national guard in one state, can they move and go to the guard in another state?
I know, ridiculous... I wish though.
this makes me furious
Yep, look for a bill to reach Bush’s desk...a bill he can sign...they’re dragging this out for the anti war crowd...of course, they’ve tried so very hard to not pass one till Feb....telling the defense dept. to borrow money from here and here...looks like the defense dept ain’t goin’ to bite...holding their feet to the fire...it appears.
Why? Do you even have a remote clue as to what you’re talking about or do you just drive by and throw flaming bags of crap around then drive off?
And btw, I’m in the defense industry working in CA and our platform is absolutely critical to the WOT.
I note that you don’t claim your state on your page.
SZ
You know what, I said it before when they pulled this...
They would not get one letter of legislation passed... nothing. I would get the spineless together so those SOBs will hold the line... instead of flaking on Sunday shows and smoking cigars at the old boy’s club with the dems.
This isn’t a game.
Organized labor won't care. They will probably be happy about it. Civil servants (union) always get paid for the time they were off work during a shutdown as part of the final budget agreement. Those horrible contractors (nonunion) do not. The union members get a little unplanned but paid holiday, and the unions get to claim credit for it and point out how the contractors didn't get the same deal and had to burn vacation time and take leave without pay.
The Democrats are determined to destroy our military, and this ploy of not funding it is their ideal method to do so.
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