[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 136 (Friday, October 4, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         DOD CIVILIAN FURLOUGHS

  (Mr. TURNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, as you and I have discussed, Tuesday 
morning, 8,700 employees at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base were 
unnecessarily furloughed. I have voted every single time to fully fund 
the government, and I have opposed this shutdown. This shutdown is just 
as harmful to our military readiness as sequestration is, which I also 
opposed because it undermines our national security.
  Mr. Speaker, as you know, the Pay Our Military Act was passed by this 
Congress and signed by the President to ensure our Nation's uniformed 
servicemembers and the civilian employees that support them would be 
paid in the event of a shutdown. The administration has chosen to 
ignore this law and force our civilian employees to sit at home and go 
without pay.
  I have written to Secretary Hagel and President Obama demanding 
clarification as to why they have chosen not to follow the law and have 
furloughed these hardworking people. The Armed Services Committee is 
holding a hearing to get to the bottom of this clear defiance of the 
law by the administration.
  It is past time that we get all men and women back to work and those 
who work to support our military.

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