White House warns 100,000 jobs rely on Iraq bill passage

[sabra]

Source: The Hill

The Bush administration is threatening to issue layoff notices this week to about 100,000 civilian defense department employees if Congress will not provide money for the Iraq war.

The move raises the political stakes by repeating a threat to disrupt the financial security of thousands of workers just before Christmas.

The financial brinksmanship comes as Congress prepares to release its omnibus spending bill, which Bush threatened to veto Saturday before its terms were known. It resembles a defense-focused version of the 1995 government shutdown, which left Washington with the lesson that Congress, not the president, bears the blame when government grinds to a halt.

Against that backdrop, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England wrote to congressional leaders Friday that the Army will run out of money in mid-February. The Marine Corps, he said, will run out in mid-March.

“The department will issue potential furlough information to about 100,000 affected civilian employees,” England wrote. “While these actions will be detrimental to the nation, there are no other viable alternatives without additional congressional funding. Your support in providing these needed funds would be greatly appreciated.”

A furlough is a short-term layoff. Workers could be brought back when funds again become available. England noted that the law requires a 45-day notice before workers can be furloughed.

Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/white-house-warns-100000-jobs-rely-on-iraq-bill-passage-2007-12-11.html

[NightWatcher]

1. so bush is holding these people hostage? nice

[SpiralHawk]

2. "smirk, smirk, smirk" - Commander AWOL

"I learned this technique from my buddies, the bin Laden clan. Smirk smirk smirk."

- Commander AWOL

[robinlynne]

3. Here's an idea. Let's lay-off blackwater instead. They earn 6 times more, so

you will save enough to build some hospitals.

[saigon68]

37. Not if Gangster Cheney can help it

[donkeyotay]

39. Bingo. Close bilgewater. Isn't it unconstitutional anyway

to subject us to a domestic warlord? They're going to have to cut the private defense sooner or later, or take us into more war. Meanwhile, bilgewater is reinventing itself as a corporate security entity, so the monster created with our taxes will live on.

[miles 2 go]

4. I say....Enjoy your time off then.

It doesn't seem to bother the WH that hundreds of thousands of the rest of us have lost our jobs because of the asshole cabal in the WH or that tens of thousands of our soldiers have lost the ability to continue working, or that thousands of soldiers are dead because of the loons.

Unfortunately, I'm sure our dems are about ready to cave already anyway.

Sure is hard to get good representation these days.

[shaniqua6392]

5. Well boo hoo hoo.

Then they can get in line with all of the people I know who are on unemployment, ran out of unemployment, lost their houses, and the ones who have three crappy jobs with no benefits to replace the one good job that they lost. If that is what George is going to do then so be it. It is him we should all be pissed at for the loss of jobs, not the Congress. Lets get out of Iraq and then we will have plenty of money for the funding.

[donsu]

6. see! that's how they work - bully, bribe, blackmail, threaten, murder

whatever gets them what they want

[zabet]

7. Let's call it what it is...

Blackmail.
Find the missing
money, get rid of
Blackwater, bring home
the majority of the
troops....
Sounds like they do
not need more money, they
need to learn how to keep
up with what they get and
learn how to use it wisely.

[Barrett808]

8. "Blackmail" is such an ugly word -- I prefer "extortion". The "X" makes it sound cool.

Stole that gag from Bender.

[zabet]

9. Yes...

that does sound cooler.
Bender rocks! :headbang:

[madrchsod]

10. they can draw unemployment payments.

bush worrying but people losing their jobs now that is a new one

[parkerll]

11. Layoffs?

What civilian defense department people is he talking about? The ones that gang-raped the Houston woman?

[MissDeeds]

19. Slow down there, partner

My husband is a civilian defense department employee - an historian, to be exact - and had nothing to do with the horrific crime you mention. And he is a strong Democrat. You owe a lot of people an apology.

[parkerll]

27. ..

"and had nothing to do with the horrific crime you mention"

Then I obviously wasn't talking about him, was I? Your husband will be the kind they get rid of first. Those who perpetrated the horrors will no doubt be kept on as long as possible. That's the kind of regime we have.

[MissDeeds]

31. Thanks, gotcha

:toast:

[lanlady]

41. whoa

That's like saying all teachers should be furloughed because a couple of them have seduced their pupils.

Civilian defense employees are ordinary government workers who happen to work at DoD. They don't have a habit of going on violent rampages.

[boricua79]

12. Democrats will cave in 5...4...3...2.... NT

[MissMillie]

13. so, Mr. President, sign the bill that was passed.

It's that simple. You're the one holding things up.

[Javaman]

14. No problem here, it will cut our ballooning defence spending...

some of these folks maybe dems but I can bet that the majority are repukes.

[rockybelt]

15. SSDD nt

[humus]

16. greener money

Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.
"Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."

--Wendell Berry

[Zorra]

17. Competent Presidential Administrations do not need to start wars to create jobs.

Republicans think that blowing things up and then building more stuff to replace the things you blew up is a viable long term economic plan for creating jobs and stimulating the economy.

It's known as "voodoo economics", and it is destroying our economy.

[bamacrat]

18. Yeah the 100,000 mercenaries, "contractors," and oilmen currently in Iraq.

It seems to be getting harder for Bouche to sell everyone on Iran, now lets talk about what a job market the war is.

[annabanana]

20. sadly, no... He will be furloughing the rank & file... the people

who do the clerical work in the office down the street.. The people who have worked for the federal government doing the essential people's business year in and year out for successive administrations.. the ones who know where stuff is filed, and how to handle requests & complaints... the ones with experience and no axe to grind...

[MissDeeds]

22. Exactly

Teachers at the Dept. of Defense schools are also included in this. A lot of good people will be caught up in Bush's scheme and they are the ones who will be hurt. The thugs that are in with Shrub and company will be protected - as they have always been.

[annabanana]

24. Then.. when things fall apart because they weren't there to keep

things up and running?. . .

"PRIVATIZE"

[MissDeeds]

25. Right you are

They have it all figured out.

[Hugin]

23. Yes, that and anyone who has refused to do their bidding...

(read: Democrat and other liiiiberals) In the brave new spoils pay system.

The Attorney Purge was NOTHING compared with what's in the works. Yet, the Dems stand idle... I'm beginning to think
they want it to happen as much as the NeoCons.

[Gman]

21. We will economically murder 100,000 workers and

if we do, it's your fault. But we don't negotiate with terrorists... the contradictions go on, and the rabbit hole gets deeper and deeper.

[MGKrebs]

26. Wow. I didn't think they were supposed to say stuff like that out loud.

We have to keep the war going to provide jobs and maintain the economy?

Or another way to say that:

They are incapable of managing the economy without war.

[JDPriestly]

28. So -- at last some honesty. War is about jobs and money and economics.

Republicans don't believe in spending more on things we really need -- like schools and medical care and investment for energy independence. That would be socialism. So, when the economy is going downhill as it was in 2001, they find some defenseless country somewhere and they declare war. That creates jobs and demand. They did the same thing with the 9/11 event. They created all kinds of utterly useless jobs in the "Homeland security" department and bought all kinds of gadgets to keep people busy. This is the first honest statement about the war I have heard from the Bushies thus far. It was always about staving off recession. Let's face it. America's economy is in big trouble and has been since Bush took office. And the Republicans have no ideas, no solutions, except to kill people.

[HuffleClaw]

29. "which Bush threatened to veto Saturday before its terms were known"

that pretty much says it all i think


and threatening the livelihood of 100,000 families? what the fuck is that about?

[trogdor]

30. That was then.

Back then, it was Newt Gingrich who was trying to ram through something we didn't want. This time, it is George Bush trying to get Congress to pass something we don't want. If Congress remembers this, we'll be fine.

[Vinca]

32. Odd, he didn't give a rat's behind about the hundreds of thousands

put out of jobs as a result of his wonderful trade agreements.

[santamargarita]

33. So What! 100,00 Mercenaries out of Work - Good!

I would stop payment immediately to all of Bush's cronies in Iraq!

[ohio2007]

34. ?

He is talking about laying off american taxpayers that build the flak jackets,humvees ect. Congressman with these taxpayers in their districts have the most to lose come election day.

[Thothmes]

35. If I remember

It was a Republican Congress that got blamed, by the American electorate, for the Federal shut down when Clinton was President.

[lanlady]

43. sadly, he's not talking about the mercenaries

but about the DoD's civilian workforce. Two very different groups.

[Thor_MN]

36. Now is this the upwardly revised numbers for publication that will be later downwardly revised?

Looking at *'s job number history, they can literally make that up in one month...

[ohio2007]

38. It's down from the pentagons 200,000 estimate

Pentagon Says 200,000 Workers Could Receive Pink Slips for Christmas

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3091046&mesg_id=3091046

[donkeyotay]

40. Support our troops.... er, or support the contractors. Who gave the GOP the most? nt

[Cha]

42. And how many lives will be

lost because of it? How much of our money will go down the killing hole because of it?

[Sugar Smack]

44. Another warning from the White House?

White House warns, Bush demands, etc, etc, etc. :banghead: