Hoyer Op-ed in the Enterprise: Furloughs Hurting Morale, Readiness on Navy Bases

Wanted to be sure you saw today's op-ed by Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) in The Enterprise about the need to replace the automatic spending cuts known as sequestration and end furloughs for civilian defense workers, which began today at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Webster Field, and Indian Head. To read the op-ed, click here or see below:

Furloughs Hurting Morale, Readiness on Navy Bases

By Steny Hoyer

From many of them I heard the same message: Sequestration's harm will come not only from the furloughs, which represent a 20 percent pay cut for more than 650,000 civilian defense workers across the country. It will also reduce military readiness, lower morale and impede our ability to recruit and retain top talent.

One Pax River employee I met told me of their concern that critical work will pile up as furloughs take effect there this Friday — that, while employees have a strong work ethic and want to get the job done, whether it's late nights and weekends, they are worried they'll be forced to delay completing important tasks.

For the sake of morale and our ability to support our uniformed military personnel in the field, Congress must take swift action to end the irrational sequester that is already having a negative impact on our economy and national security. I believe we should replace the sequester with a balanced and bipartisan agreement that reduces the deficit in a way that takes our priorities into account. The sequester's arbitrary cuts, which slash funding for our highest and lowest priorities equally, are not a viable solution.

The only reason we are facing the cuts of sequester and its resulting furloughs is because Congress failed to reach a balanced agreement to replace it. I continue to be deeply disappointed that partisanship in Washington has prevented the parties from working together to achieve a balanced compromise that can replace the sequester in its entirety and enable our outstanding federal workers to avoid this unfair and unnecessary pay cut. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md., 8th), ranking member of the budget committee, has asked for a vote on a balanced alternative to the sequester seven times since January. House Republicans — who control what votes are taken on the floor — have said no each time.

There is no reason why our civilian defense employees should be prevented from doing their jobs just because Congress has failed to do its job. These furloughs come on top of the $114 billion in frozen cost-of-living adjustments and changes to retirement benefits that federal employees have already contributed to deficit reduction. It's time we moved forward with a sensible approach that recognizes the benefits of investing in a highly skilled and experienced federal workforce — especially when it comes to our defense.

The longer Congress waits to act, the worse the effects on readiness and morale will be at Pax River, Webster Field, Indian Head and other installations in Maryland and throughout the country. Congress ought to get to work right away on a balanced alternative to the sequester that protects our national security, prevents further harm to our economy, and puts our country back on a sound fiscal path.