Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against the effects of sequestration on the Department of Defense employees and their families. Starting this week, 650,000-or-so Department of Defense employees across the country will go a day a week without pay for 11 weeks. I am appalled that the previous Congress would authorize such a measure. Here is what these furloughs mean for Texas families and our State as a whole: Approximately 45,000 Department of Defense civilian employees in Texas will be furloughed. The cuts will specifically hurt families in the 23rd Congressional District who work at Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Bliss in El Paso, and Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio. Today, in fact, the El Paso Times reported that furloughs will affect 11,000 civilian employees at Fort Bliss and at Beaumont Army Medical Center. One day a week for 11 weeks, that results in $3,300 in lost wages per employee; and it means that, on average, most of these workers will effectively receive a 20 percent salary cut each pay period for the rest of the fiscal year. Do the math, and that's nearly $149 million lost in Texas. Mr. Speaker, with every passing day, thousands of jobs are at risk. We have to put politics aside and work through the issue of sequestration. ____________________”