Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. Opposes Effort to Freeze Federal Employee Pay

Statement

Today, Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. issued the following statement after opposing legislation that freezes middle-class federal employee salaries for the third year in row:

"Instead of working on solutions to prevent sequestration and deep, automatic cuts that will devastate New Jerseyans, the House wasted time and taxpayer money passing a bill that would freeze federal employee wages for the third year in a row. Federal employees are hardworking middle-class men and women, who protect our country, keep our borders safe, support our veterans and families, and perform life-saving research. Federal employees have already contributed more than $103 billion in deficit reduction through pay freezes, increased pension contributions, and a reduction in cost-of-living adjustments.

"The leaders of House Republicans are kidding themselves if they think our deficit will be solved by asking middle-class federal employees to sacrifice more year after year. Targeting our federal employees and asking them to bear the burden when millionaires and Big Oil still do not pay their fair share in taxes is unfair and undermines the safety, security, and innovative progress of our nation.

"I oppose efforts that consistently single-out our public servants, and I will work with my colleagues across the aisle to avoid sequestration and provide Americans with a fair and balanced deficit reduction plan."

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