In Act of Solidarity, Top Pentagon Officials Will Return a Share of Salaries
In Act of Solidarity, Top Pentagon Officials Will Return a Share of Salaries
By THOM SHANKER
In an unusual act of solidarity with the Pentagon’s civilian workforce, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the department’s deputy secretary, Ashton B. Carter, will return a share of their salaries to the federal Treasury for the same number of days that employees are docked because of furloughs.
As a result of across-the-board budget cuts known as the sequester, several hundred thousand Defense Department civilian employees are expected to be furloughed for 14 days before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. That is down from 21 days because of a compromise spending bill negotiated between President Obama and members of Congress.
The new budget gives the Defense Department and the military more freedom to shift money within Pentagon accounts to manage the automatic cuts more efficiently. Mr. Hagel said the Pentagon’s reductions under the new bill would be about $41 billion, down from earlier estimates of $46 billion. Even so, its accounts for military operations and maintenance will face a shortage of at least $22 billion this fiscal year.
The defense secretary and deputy are exempt from furloughs because they are presidential appointees whose jobs require Senate confirmation. Their decision to return a portion of their salaries, pegged to the number of furlough days for civilian employees, was disclosed at a news conference on Tuesday by George Little, the Pentagon’s press secretary.
“I had a discussion shortly after he took office with the secretary, and he will voluntarily subject part of his salary to furlough levels even though he’s not required,” Mr. Little said. “He has committed to do that.”
Mr. Little confirmed that Mr. Carter had made the same decision.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/in-act-of-solidarity-top-pentagon-officials-will-return-a-share-of-salaries/
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