[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 86 (Monday, June 17, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E891-E892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014

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                               speech of

                           HON. BETO O'ROURKE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2013

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1960) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2014 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
     construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
     such fiscal year, and for other purposes:

  Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Chair, the Federal Government is facing some of the 
most complex challenges in our Nation's history and dealing with 
serious budget constraints. In order to do more with less, it is 
critical that we have a first class Federal workforce. The government 
must make the proper investments in its employees and take the steps 
necessary to recruit, retain, and develop its talent.
  The media often focuses on what goes wrong in government, but today I 
want to take a moment to recognize the important work of the more than 
800,000 Department of Defense of Defense (DoD) civil servants who 
provide essential services to help keep our country safe. DoD civilians 
are partners in our national defense and integral to the success of DoD 
military operations.
  I represent Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas and to echo the words of 
Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta when he visited the 
installation, ``let me be clear--Fort Bliss is the premier post in 
America.'' The critical role this post plays in our national defense is 
supported by more than 11,000 full-time civilian employees. We live in 
a world where the threats to our freedoms are diverse and we must 
ensure that our civilian workforce is up to the task of protecting the 
American people. To succeed in carrying out the complex tasks of the 
Department, Congress must enable all these employees to excel in their 
jobs. We must compensate them commensurate with their responsibilities; 
provide them with a quality of work life that fosters long-term growth; 
and work to ensure that labor-management relationships remain strong.
  This year Congress debated multiple amendments to the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 that aimed to weaken the 
civilian workforce at DoD. These amendments would greatly expand the A-
76 process and direct the Department to contract out any function not 
considered to be ``inherently governmental''--regardless of policy, 
risk, or cost to DoD. The Congress outlawed the use of the A-76 process 
during the Bush Administration after the finding by DoD Inspector 
General that it was biased against federal employees, and by the 
Government Accountability Office that the costs of associated with the 
process often exceeded estimated savings. Additionally, in testimony 
before the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, DoD Comptroller 
Robert Hale acknowledged that contractors are twice as expensive as 
civilian employees stating that ``if you're going to have a job over a 
long period of time . . . it's probably cheaper to have a civilian 
government employee to do it.'' For these reasons, I voted against 
these amendments.

[[Page E892]]

  As the Nation's largest employer, I believe that the federal 
government has a responsibility to lead by example to be a model 
employer. This is especially true for the Department of Defense. Since 
being elected to Congress, I have met and worked with many civilian 
employees at DoD and am inspired by their dedication. Our military and 
country are stronger because of them, and I will continue to support 
efforts that strengthen our federal workforce.

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