Congressman Wittman defends federal employees’ work, votes against pay freeze

Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1), who represents part of the Prince William County area, voted against efforts to freeze the pay of federal employees (H.R. 273). Wittman issued the following statement after voting against the legislation, which would extend a pay freeze on federal employees through the end of this year:

“Whether fighting crime for the FBI, rooting out terrorism with the CIA, or providing medical care to our veterans at VA hospitals, the dedicated men and women of our federal civilian workforce have served this nation selflessly throughout our nation’s history. Yet time and time again, these hardworking folks are being singled out during deficit reduction efforts, despite the fact that they have been under a pay freeze since January 1, 2011. Congress charges these individuals with important duties and expects these duties to be performed with the highest caliber of expertise – but rather than being recognized for their service, these public servants see their salary and benefits continually used as a pawn in the game of politics.

“I do not believe Members of Congress should receive any sort of pay increase, and I support legislation to cut Member salaries and to eliminate the automatic pay adjustment for Members.  This bill, however, is not about Members of Congress; it is about our federal employees. I voted against H.R. 273 because I believe that as we continue to ask our federal civilian workforce to do more with less, we should be standing with them during these challenging times.”

Wittman voted against the initial pay freeze for federal employees, and has voted against previous House efforts to target federal employees’ pay as a means of deficit reduction. In November of 2012, Wittman joined a bipartisan group of Members in sending letters to the president and House leadership urging them not to single out federal workers during deficit reduction efforts (view letter here).

Wittman spoke on the House Floor yesterday during consideration of H.R. 273.

Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, where he is Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee.