buzzz worthy. . .
The furlough has been lifted at the Pentagon for some civilian employees. During the second week of the government shut down thousands of workers headed back to work after Sec. of Defense Chuck Hagel released a recall memo last Saturday. In the memo Hagel explained the Pay Our Military Act (POMA) makes provision for some personnel to continue working during government closures.
"DoD and DOJ attorneys concluded that the law (POMA) does allow the Department of Defense to eliminate furloughs for employees whose responsibilities contribute to the morale, well-being, capabilities and readiness of service members."
This explanation essentially means it was unnecessary to furlough most of the workers who did not report to the Pentagon last week. With over 350,000, the Pentagon has the largest share of the 800,000 of workers affected by the furlough.
This decision puts a welcome dent in the numbers but not all Pentagon Civilians are in the clear.
"While the additional flexibility provided by POMA will significantly reduce the number
of furloughed employees, it will not eliminate civilian furloughs altogether. We will continue
our efforts to bring those who still remain under furlough back to work as soon as possible."\
" Consequently, I am now directing the military departments and other DOD components to move expeditiously to identify all employees whose activities fall under these categories. I expect us to be able to significantly reduce – but not eliminate – civilian furloughs under this process." e
Meanwhile, President Obama and Congress continue to debate about putting the end of the government shut down to a vote.
The furlough has been lifted at the Pentagon for some civilian employees. During the second week of the government shut down thousands of workers headed back to work after Sec. of Defense Chuck Hagel released a recall memo last Saturday. In the memo Hagel explained the Pay Our Military Act (POMA) makes provision for some personnel to continue working during government closures.
"DoD and DOJ attorneys concluded that the law (POMA) does allow the Department of Defense to eliminate furloughs for employees whose responsibilities contribute to the morale, well-being, capabilities and readiness of service members."
This explanation essentially means it was unnecessary to furlough most of the workers who did not report to the Pentagon last week. With over 350,000, the Pentagon has the largest share of the 800,000 of workers affected by the furlough.
This decision puts a welcome dent in the numbers but not all Pentagon Civilians are in the clear.
"While the additional flexibility provided by POMA will significantly reduce the number
of furloughed employees, it will not eliminate civilian furloughs altogether. We will continue
our efforts to bring those who still remain under furlough back to work as soon as possible."\
" Consequently, I am now directing the military departments and other DOD components to move expeditiously to identify all employees whose activities fall under these categories. I expect us to be able to significantly reduce – but not eliminate – civilian furloughs under this process." e
Meanwhile, President Obama and Congress continue to debate about putting the end of the government shut down to a vote.