Ernest Istook: “Mr. Speaker, were we to adopt this policy of across-the-board raises, we would prevent the ability to prioritize for…”

“Mr. Speaker, were we to adopt this policy of across-the-board raises, we would prevent the ability to prioritize for those people who actually put their lives at risk and put themselves in harm's way. I have worked in local government, I have worked in State government, I have worked in the Federal Government. Typically we make a distinction between people, whether they are police, whether they are fire, whether they are law enforcement, whether they are in the military. We make a distinction between those who put themselves in harm's way when we consider what we need to do in employment. But if all the resources are consumed on saying, no, we have got to give everybody an across-the-board increase, then we cannot target our efforts towards those people who do put themselves in harm's way. That is what the President's proposal seeks to do, have an adequate across-the-board cost-of-living increase, so that you therefore retain the resources to target the additional assistance where it is most justified. This resolution wipes out that approach. This resolution says, no, somebody that works at a desk, and maybe doing a very important job at that desk, has to be given the same increase as someone who puts their life in harm's way. That is a wrong approach. The people that we have a challenge retaining are those who do put their lives in harm's way.”