Issue Position: Civilian Defense Employees

Issue Position

Congressman Hoyer is proud to represent civilian defense employees who work at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center, Webster Field, Joint Base Andrews, the Pentagon, and other defense installations across the region. He has been a strong advocate for these hardworking civil servants, fighting to secure fair pay and parity between civilian personnel and the uniformed personnel they work alongside.

Congressman Hoyer is committed to ending the furloughs of civilian defense employees, which was the result of the across-the-board, untargeted spending cuts known as sequestration. These furloughs -- which mean a 20% pay reduction for civilian defense employees -- threaten military readiness, undermine the mission of our defense installations, harm our local economy, and impede our ability to recruit and retain a skilled federal workforce. These furloughs also come on top of the $114 billion that federal employees across the country have already contributed towards deficit reduction through freezes to cost-of-living-adjustments and changes to retirement benefits. Congressman Hoyer believes Congress needs to reach an agreement on a budget that replaces sequestration, ends furloughs, and reduces the deficit through smart, targeted spending cuts and additional revenues. He continues to urge his colleagues to reach such an agreement.

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