HOUSE PASSES JONES PROVISION TO STOP FRC EAST FURLOUGHS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives voted to approve Congressman Walter B. Jones’ (NC-3) provision to prohibit any Defense Department funds from being used to implement furloughs for civilian workers – such as the employees at FRC East – at facilities supported by Defense Working Capital Funds.  The measure was included as an amendment to H.R. 2397, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2014, which passed the House with a vote of 315 to 109.

“Implementing civilian furloughs only serves to compromise our military readiness and saddle the taxpayer with excess costs resulting from overtime pay in the future,” said Congressman Jones.  “Furthermore, I believe that furloughing employees at FRC East and depots across the country who are paid through Defense Working Capital Funds runs contrary to United States law, which provides these individuals with specific protections from sequester-related furloughs.”  

Congressman Jones also supported four additional amendments to H.R. 2397 that were aimed at mitigating the effects of sequestration.  One would prevent funding for any furloughs resulting from sequestration, while another would prohibit funds allocated by the bill from being used to implement furloughs of Dual Status Military Technicians.  The third would reduce the Afghanistan Forces Security Fund by $2.6 billion while increasing funding for department operations and maintenance by $1 billion in order to offset the mandatory budget cuts that are currently being achieved through civilian furloughs.  The final amendment supported by Congressman Jones would prevent civilian workers from being denied renewal of their security clearance because of financial hardships resulting from furloughs.

Congressman Jones has been a consistent opponent of sequestration, having voted against the 2011 bill that created it.  He has spoken out on several occasions against the Defense Department’s use of furloughs to achieve the required budget cuts and has supported multiple bills to attain equivalent cost-savings without harming military readiness.