DoD Union to Bush: Don't use federal employees as pawns in budget dispute

[sabra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/11/AR2007121102175.html

The Pentagon expects to notify Army and Navy commanders this week to begin preparing to lay off civilian employees, a Defense Department official said yesterday.

Notices to employees will come in mid-January, the official said. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because Pentagon officials are still working out details of the potential layoffs.

The Defense Department has said that it plans to send about 100,000 civil service employees home without pay because of a budget dispute between the White House and the Congress. The Pentagon says the Army and Marine Corps will run out of money early next year unless more is provided to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

...

Washington area members of Congress and the American Federation of Government Employees, a union that represents Defense Department workers, yesterday asked the administration not to use federal employees as pawns in the budget dispute.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. Glad THEY know who is responsible

It is simply disgusting the way that Bush is using their jobs as a means of forcing Democrats in Congress to submit to his will (again) regarding funding for his Iraq (mis-)adventure. I hope and pray that the Democrats don't cave to Bush again and they (AND we) get the word out that it is Bush NOT them who will be putting these people out of a job. Unfortunately, Bush is probably not too worried about actually having to follow through on his threat because he is playing a game of "chicken" with the Democrats and counting on the Democrats to blink first (sadly, for good reason).

[Bitwit1234]

2. BUT everytime he vetoes a funding bill it ends up the Democrats

get the blame...the Democrats are a bunch of jellyfish that they don't fight back. I know it is hard to get the message out in the MSM but it they presist it WILL get out there.