U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) continued to criticize the harmful effects of sequester cuts this week as furloughs began for civilian employees at Fort McCoy, Volk Field and Camp Williams, all located in Wisconsin's Third Congressional District.
"These forced furloughs at our military bases are harmful not only to the families of the furloughed employees, but also to our overall national security," said Rep. Kind. "I've said all along that sequestration is Latin for "stupid spending cuts' and this is another painful reminder of that."
Fort McCoy plans to furlough most of its 1,500 civilian employees, Volk Field will furlough approximately 60 and Camp Williams will furlough about 150 civilian employees for one day each week, starting this week and continuing until the fiscal year ends at the end of September. The furloughing of civilian employees is in response to the sequester cuts that are the result Congressional failure to reduce the national deficit.
Many military and civilian employees are also concerned about the possibility that layoffs will be necessary next year if the sequester is not addressed. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives refuses to take action to finish a budget that would replace the sequester.
"It is unacceptable that people working to protect our country are now being forced to take a salary cut to pay for the mistakes being made by this Congress. They are not the ones responsible for our deficit crisis," said Kind. "These furloughs are creating serious financial uncertainty for these employees and their families, and they are also slowing down economic growth."
Kind has repeatedly called for Congressional action to replace sequestration in its entirety with comprehensive, responsible legislation that protects our military and critical programs like Head Start, Meals on Wheels, job training services and others that are being harmed by sequester cuts.