Press Release
February 1, 2012
Congresswoman Susan Davis Stands Up for Federal Workers
WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) released the following statement on the combined House vote to freeze the pay of federal workers and that of members of Congress. H.R. 3835 passed on a vote of 309-117, with Davis voting against the bill.
“I believe strongly that pay for members of Congress should not be increased this year, which is why I cosponsored legislation to freeze member’s pay into 2013. However, during this delicate economic recovery, I am not willing to harm federal workers, thousands of whom are my constituents earning middle class wages.
“I have consistently voted against increasing my pay as a member of Congress and will do so again when a clean vote on it comes to the floor. It simply makes no sense to link federal workers pay with that of Representatives. The average federal employee earns a middle class salary while experiencing the rising cost of living.
“The bill that was before the House of Representatives sought to continue the same politics of throwing federal employees under the bus and blaming them for the economic situation and debt crisis we are in.
There are approximately 46,300 federal employees in San Diego County, making the federal government our second largest employer. These dedicated public servants include civilians working for the Defense Department, border guards, Veterans Affairs caseworkers and many others upon whose work we depend. They did not cause our debt problems and they and their families should not be punished for it.”
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