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Bush Threatens to Furlough 100,000 Defense Dept. Civilian Workers |
The Bush administration is threatening to furlough 100,000 civilian employees of the Defense Department and another 100,000 contract workers if Congress does not rubber-stamp his request for nearly $200 billion in supplemental funds for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
President Bush claims that without the added $189.3 billion he is seeking in a no-strings-attached new war spending bill, the Defense Department would be forced to begin the furloughs in February in order to continue combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) says the Bush threats are “political theater” and are
…unnecessarily upsetting countless families throughout the region and across the country during the holiday season and is quite simply a political tactic by the administration to pressure Congress to continue writing blank checks for its failing Iraq policy.
Congress passed and Bush signed a $460 billion Defense Department spending bill earlier this fall. In addition, the House has passed a $50 billion supplemental war spending bill, and House leaders have said they are willing to approve more funds later.
But Bush says he would veto the House bill because he objects to provisions designed to redeploy troops in Iraq. However, he likely won’t get a chance to veto the House bill, because Senate Republicans have successfully filibustered the bill, preventing a vote.
In addition, this week the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) issued a report calling furloughs unnecessary and outlining several ways the Defense Department can maintain operations with its current funding.
But this week, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates sent letters to military base commanders telling them to prepare furlough plans.
AFGE President John Gage says the civilian workforce provides vital and valuable services to the military and that Gates should reconsider the furlough plans:
Civilian defense employees are vital to the Iraq and Afghanistan war efforts. They work seven days a week and are on call 24/7. Many AFGE members are themselves veterans, and thousands of them have volunteered to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan to support our troops. It is the civilian defense employees who maintain the U.S. military strength here and abroad. They are the ones who repair equipment from the C-17 to the M1 Abrams tanks. They are the ones who care for wounded war fighters in [Defense Department] hospitals, and they are the ones who tend to the families of troops waiting at home for their loved ones.
Hoyer is urging Bush to:
abandon the political theater and work with us to ensure that defense employees are able to continue the vital work they do on behalf of the nation….Defense employees work hard every day to keep America safe and provide critical support to our soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world. President Bush should stop using these dedicated and valued workers as political pawns in an attempt to get Congress to write a blank check for Iraq.
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I can’t help but to wonder; will Bush’s actions to furlough these American citizens actually protect and defend America’s vital interests? I think gainful employment is a vital interest to millions of Americans. Our economy will take a devastating blow, at a very vulnerable time, with over 100,000 less people pumping their disposable incomes into it. Millions of Americans would feel the impact of such a catastrophe. It seems to me Bush is throwing the baby out with the bath when he rejects Congress’ offer to keep the funds flowing. This is especially troubling when one considers how ‘successful’ the “Surge” has been. I remember something about drawing down troops in the region because of such successes. Why is Bush fighting with Congress about reducing America’s footprint in the region when he’s already postured for redeployment, anyway? Is he trying to ruin the economy with conscience forethought? If Pelosi won’t impeach, perhaps the Commanders should reconsider their oaths containing the phrase “protect and defend the United States from enemies both foreign and DOMESTIC?” Bush has no fear of reprisal for his actions. Our dictator has displayed nothing but contempt for what he referenced as a “G-d piece of paper” that the rest of us call the Constitution. I am beginning to wonder if he has any intention to transfer Presidential powers once the election is over. He has already laid waist to so much of the Constitution; what’s one more article going to harm? Long live the King!!!