Many federal workers facing furloughs are veterans

Washington Post ^ | 13 Feb 13 | Steve Vogel

[SkyPilot]

If the federal government is forced to furlough civilian employees in the event of sequestration, the burden will fall heavily on a population that Congress and the White House have vowed to support: veterans.

More than two out of five of the approximately 800,000 Department of Defense employees facing furloughs are veterans, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Wednesday. “Forty-four percent of them are veterans,” Carter told the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on the potential effect of sequestration on the military. ”Very soon we’re going to have to furlough the great majority of them.”

The Pentagon expects to furlough its civilian employees for the maximum statutory length of 22 days between the beginning of April and the end of the year, Carter said. That will amount to 20 percent of their pay, he noted.

“So there’s a real human impact here,” Carter said. ” … We’re asking all those people who are furloughed to give back a fifth of their salary.”

Across the federal workforce of approximately 2 million employees, about 27.3 percent are veterans, according to new figures for fiscal 2011 from the Office of Personnel Management. More than a quarter of the veteran employees are disabled, according to the OPM.

The furloughs, together with a federal hiring freeze, no pay raises for three years, contractor layoffs...

[SkyPilot]

Related:

Pelosi: Congressional pay cut undermines dignity of the job

So the sequestration does not touch free Obama Phones, ObamaCare, Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (ca$h welfare), or entitlement programs, but this is just fine and dandy.

Even if we completely zeroed out Defense (which is Constitutional by the way), this is what the future holds:

Much of the military's maintenance is now civlians. Many of the veterans, many of the disabled.

Obama said during the 3rd debate with Romney that "We have these things called aircraft carriers!" He didn't mention things like this:

Navy delays overhaul of aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, citing budget concerns

And where is all the lip service from Obama and the Congressional Republicans about "helping employ our veterans"?

It is shameful what is going on. The hypocrisy, the Washington games, the duplicity.

[Sacajaweau]

What a farce....They could get rid of 10% of these employees and no one would notice.

[icwhatudo]

Have relatives working for DOD. Its all BS. They welcome the coming paid vacation. They know they will get to stay home and eventually, like last time they were furloughed, they will be paid for their time off.

Its the same for the “no raises” lie. Instead of raises they now get ever increasing “bonuses” each year. Eventually they will get raises again but the precedent of the end of the year bonus is now set so they will get both.

Its all kabuki theater. They are already on expedia.com planning what to do with a possible coming paid vacation and have already bought a boat with their “I don’t get raises so instead I get a bonus” bonus.

[silverleaf]

Those employees and their families will notice being gotten rid of.

The article states that 40% of the work force are veterans.

Incredibly sad that the entire federal work force has been so demonized and dehumanized. Let them eat cake?

[Pentagon Leatherneck]

"What a farce....They could get rid of 10% of these employees and no one would notice." Why do I suspect you have absolutely no data or real information to back up that claim? What are you: a low-information voter? TC

[Venturer]

Pointing out that a certain number of these employees is BS.

Certainly they are, but they are no worse off than others facing sequestration furloughs.

What I find hard to believe is that Congressional pay will be cut and a billionaire like Nancy Pelosi thinks that is unfair.These people have no conscience.

[RadiationRomeo]

Many federal workers facing furloughs are veterans.
Many federal workers facing furloughs are single mothers.
Many federal workers facing furloughs are gay jewish illegal aliens.
There are a lot of federal workers so there are many of every possible group.

[Timber Rattler]

Well, the fact of the matter is that most of these veterans aren’t your blue collar enlisted guys working in government warehouses and factories but retired officers taking advantage of both their pension and a second government salary in some agency under veteran preference hiring practices. A lot of times, they are hired under independent contract too. It’s called “double dipping.”

[silverleaf]

that is what savings are for, vacations and boats and paying the bills if your pay is cut 20%
lucky your relatives have savings to enjoy a furlough, many do not...they must have done one helluva job last year to get a significant bonus.

Our experience for last year of constant overtime drudgery and govt travel impacting almost half our weekends (not a 9-5 job here) was a continued pay freeze, a $1000 bonus -$700 after taxes - and an $800 hike in MEDICARE premiums and starting 1 Feb, a hike of over $600 a year in monthly prescription copays

yeah yeah, I know, stop whining or quit ... just wanted to set the record straight on being overpaid via “bonuses”

[Chainmail]

You got that right: another "conservative" that has probably never served in uniform, has no idea how our defense works, could care less what will happen to our country's future if we lose critical capabilities. Those of us who have served and then have worked within the defense system afterward know just how thin an edge there is between keeping all those wonderful people in every other country slightly behind us in capabilities or learning how to be one of their provinces.

Really sick of the Ron Paul wing of the head-in-the-sand conservatives.

[silverleaf]

many of those “double dippers” are our friends and co workers, and they started 2d jobs after 20-35 years of military service. Only fairly recently did the officers not give up half their pay if they chose to continue to work in agences and programs they understand well, and that they believe to be relevant to our national security

Many “dd’s” are retired Chiefs and other senior enlisted managers with pensions below $30K a year, also 45 yr old LTCs and 50 yr old Colonels working now as civilians - with the same honesty and work ethic - and using their expertise to keep programs flowing and going in the DoD. They are a force multiplier that keeps down the size (and cost to maintain) of the active duty military

Of course you probably think the better hire for these military-related programs and agencies like nuclear security and weapons development and acquisition would be a someone off the street without military experience

[Chainmail]

Oh aren't you the clever one: those of us who served over 20 years in uniform get a limited pension when we retire from the armed forces. If you'd felt like serving your country in a whole lot of nasty places and occasionally being shot at for a long time, you'd have that pension too. Working in the government or for the government afterward is an option that many of us follow. We have expertise and experience most of the rest of the world doesn't have and we are sought out because of that qualification. Kind of a great idea, isn't it? Or would you rather the government only hire amateurs fresh out of school?

Sounds like you're just jealous.

[Wolfie]

Take THAT!, useless Government Workers.

[huldah1776]

Mom worked for Navy at Philly ship yard. NO ONE was fired no matter how little work was done.

[irish_links]

“Take THAT!”

Thanks for posting this so I didn’t have to.

[Timber Rattler]

many of those “double dippers” are our friends and co workers, and they started 2d jobs after 20-35 years of military service.

They're still government employees in a bloated government with bloated spending. Sorry, no sympathy here.

[Timber Rattler]

Working in the government or for the government afterward is an option that many of us follow. We have expertise and experience most of the rest of the world doesn't have and we are sought out because of that qualification. Kind of a great idea, isn't it? Or would you rather the government only hire amateurs fresh out of school?

Typical government employee attitude..."we just do so much for you peons and know so much more than you."

[trebb]

What a farce....They could get rid of 10% of these employees and no one would notice.

I see you're still piling on with the "I'm pissed at the world" words of "wisdom".

[USAF80]

The bonuses are not that much anymore. $400 or so and that depends on if you get a good eval for the year. $400 is not a raise by any stretch its is one time for the entire year. A “raise” in the civilian services is usually cost of living adjustments and this is across the board. There are also Time In Grade raises which is around 2% of your salary.

I don’t know where your family members work or their pay grade but that story about bonuses is inaccurate. The supervisors control the bonuses but they can give you time off instead of money. Not everyone gets a bonus.

[palmer]

Of course you probably think the better hire for these military-related programs and agencies like nuclear security and weapons development and acquisition would be a someone off the street without military experience

Only partly true. One of my big life choices was foregoing military service. Instead I got a scholarship to a public university. The tradeoff becomes apparent decades later when vets are more suited for defense work than I am. OTOH, they are less prepared for civilian work (e.g. product development, profit-making ventures) which I have done plenty of. The primary problem with civilian defense employment right now is there are way too many and do lots of churning with planning meetings and so forth. Not much actual work. The whole system requires a complete makeover with consequent cuts.