[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 103 (Thursday, July 18, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H4605-H4606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           STOP THE FURLOUGHS

  (Mr. FORBES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, last week, more than 650,000 DOD civilians 
began the first of their 11 unpaid furlough days.
  Our military--our men and women in uniform--and the civilians who 
support

[[Page H4606]]

our national security infrastructure simply cannot and should not have 
to bear this burden. Now men and women across the country--the 
engineers, architects, welders, and manufacturers--who have devoted 
their lives to our national security find themselves losing pay and 
struggling to get by.
  Although the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force have said they would 
be able to complete the fiscal year without furloughs, the Secretary of 
Defense would not allow the service Secretaries to make their own 
decisions based on their individual budgetary constraints. The entire 
Department is now suffering as a result.
  Mr. Speaker, this body has acted multiple times to end this process, 
and I urge the Senate and the President to offer their real solutions 
to this problem so that we can relieve this costly burden on our 
defense civilian workforce. These men and women who devote their lives 
to this country's service deserve better from their government.

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