(FOX19/CNN) -
They put their lives on the line for our
country every day. But our troops could soon face a pay cut. Civilians who work
for the Defense Department --- even here in the Tri-State --- could, too.
Under a proposal from outgoing Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta, a junior enlisted service member will be making about $130 less per
month than they were planning on.
It may not be a high deduction but it's
badly needed cash for military families who try to get by on $1,500 each month.
Panetta warns that the upcoming budget battle in Washington
over automatic cuts to the Defense Department could impact thousands of
civilian defense workers, too.
"We will furlough as many as 800,000 DoD civilians around
the country for up to 22 days," he said in a recent speech. "They could face a
20% cut in their salary. You don't think that's going to impact on our
economy?"
Secretary Panetta went on to say that automatic cuts at the
Pentagon would have a devastating impact on America's ability to respond to
crises around the globe.
It will be interesting to see what Pres. Obama has to say
about all of this in his State of the Union Address Monday night.
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