[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11578]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        EFFECTS OF SEQUESTRATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, for civilian defense employees at Pax River 
Naval Air Station, Webster Field, and the Naval Surface Warfare Center 
at Indian Head, all of which I represent--and Mr. Jones, who is on the 
floor, represents a substantial number as well in his district--
sequestration hit home last week as furloughs began. The same is true 
of 650,000 civilian defense workers throughout our country.
  The furloughs brought on by the irrational policy of sequestration 
are harming our national security and putting our military readiness at 
risk. At the same time, they also represent a severe 20 percent pay cut 
in the form of days when they are forced to stay home without pay, 
forbidden even from volunteering to continue performing their important 
tasks.
  Federal employees, including those in civilian defense positions, 
have already contributed $114 billion over the last 3 years for the 
next 7 years toward deficit reduction from pay freezes and changes in 
retirement benefits. These are hardworking, dedicated men and women who 
only want to serve their country and make a difference.
  As I said on this floor last week, I went to Pax River 2 weeks ago to 
meet with many of those preparing to be furloughed. I heard their 
concerns about the sequester's effects on the missions of our men and 
women in uniform whom these civilian employees support.
  We have men and women at the point of this spear, but we have a lot 
of men and women who are making sure that they can be as effective and 
as safe as possible at the point of that spear. And I heard from them 
about how the sequester is affecting morale on and off base.
  What I did not hear much at all from those employees was concern for 
themselves, about how furloughs will impact their own families. That's 
because their number one concern, even facing an undeserved 20 percent 
pay cut, is still their ability to serve and get the job done for our 
troops and all of us who depend on a strong national defense.
  After my meeting with civilian defense employees from Maryland's 
Fifth District, I received an email message from an employee at Webster 
Field. He wrote this:

       We pride ourselves in not only delivering a quality product 
     but on being responsive to the emergent needs of our soldiers 
     and sailors around the world.

  He went on to say:

       If our dedicated folks are told to turn the lights off and 
     lock the doors at 4 p.m. on a Thursday, then who will provide 
     that level of responsiveness our military counterparts have 
     so desperately come to expect and rely on when no one is here 
     to respond to the call on Friday? What message does that send 
     to the civilians and contractors who have made it their 
     mission to ensure our military never goes without critical 
     equipment, data, and training they need?

  He goes on to say:

       I genuinely worry that it devalues the level of effort that 
     our employees have put forth. And when you're losing your pay 
     and your work appears to be less important, it will become 
     much harder to retain a lot of these very talented folk.

  Not my words, Mr. Speaker, but the words of one of America's many 
selfless public servants who are concerned about this dangerous 
sequester.
  What will it take for Congress to act?
  We've also seen air combat units grounded, and some classes at the 
Naval Academy this fall could be canceled if sequester continues. The 
only way to reverse these effects, Mr. Speaker, on our military 
readiness and training is to replace the sequester with a big and 
balanced alternative.
  Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen has proposed a 
balanced alternative seven times, but the majority has not allowed us 
to consider a balanced plan on this floor. If we had, on this floor, an 
alternative to the sequester that achieves real deficit reduction--
which we know we need--through a balance of revenues and targeted 
spending cuts, Mr. Speaker, I believe that the majority of us, 
Republican and Democrat, would come together and would support it. It's 
time for Speaker Boehner to appoint budget conferees so that House and 
Senate negotiators can begin to reach agreement on a balanced 
compromise.
  I will continue, Mr. Speaker, to call on both parties to listen to 
the men and women of Pax River, of Webster Field, of Indian Head, 
Quantico, the folks in North Carolina that Mr. Jones represents, the 
folks in Maryland that I represent, the folks in Connecticut that Mr. 
Courtney represents, the folks in Massachusetts that my good friend, 
the ranking member--almost ranking member on the Rules Committee 
represents, and the gentleman from Illinois represents. They and I will 
continue, in both parties, to act, to act on a balanced, rational, 
reasonable alternative that brings the deficit down but maintains our 
national security and the morale of the people who every day work to 
protect our great land.

                          ____________________