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House NDAA rejects civilian workforce cuts, anti-union proposals
Federal News Network • • nation
Key Points:
- The House passed the fiscal 2027 defense policy bill with a $1.15 trillion budget, supporting a 5 to 7% military pay raise but excluding raises for Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees, drawing criticism from Democrats.
- Rep. Steny Hoyer and other Democrats condemned the pay disparity between military personnel and civilian workers, urging the Senate to ensure parity in raises; the Senate Armed Services Committee also did not include a civilian pay raise.
- An amendment to reduce the DoD civilian workforce by 200,000 employees, proposed by Rep. Glenn Grothman, was defeated 254-175, with bipartisan opposition concerned about potential impacts.
- The House rejected efforts to remove provisions protecting collective bargaining rights for DoD civilian workers and included measures barring the use of 2027 funds to terminate certain civilian employees or impose hiring freezes on critical roles.
- The defense bill now moves to the Senate, where similar debates over pay raises, workforce reductions, and labor protections are expected to continue.
