Congressman offers, then withdraws, pay parity amendment

A Democratic member of the House Budget Committee introduced a sense-of-the-Congress pay parity amendment Wednesday night and then withdrew it after sensing there was little support.

Rep. Thomas Allen, D-Maine, made the move as the committee began its deliberations on President Bush's proposed budget for fiscal 2006. The amendment would have demonstrated the committee's support for the concept of equal pay increases for civilian and military federal employees.

Maine's 1st Congressional District includes large blocs of civilian federal employees at the Brunswick Naval Air Station and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Mark Sullivan, an Allen spokesman, said the congressman always has supported equal pay raises but now is receiving attention because he recently joined the Budget Committee.

"What makes this a little bit different is that this is the first time he has been in the Budget Committee," Sullivan said. "He withdrew his amendment; he sensed that there wasn't going to be enough support to get it passed, and he withdrew it."

Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., previously was the Democratic champion of pay parity on the Budget Committee. As he left his position there-forced out by term limits-he told Government Executive that he was concerned about the issue losing traction.

President Bush proposed a 3.1 percent pay raise for military service members and a 2.3 percent average increase for civilian federal employees in the fiscal 2006 budget. In previous years, he has put forward disparate pay adjustments but Congress repeatedly rebuffed those attempts-usually bringing the civilian pay raise up to match the military increase.

Allen, however, appears intent on filling Moran's shoes in the committee and pushing the issue within the fiscal 2006 budget discussions.

"It's an issue of fairness and equality, and it's something that is not necessarily a partisan issue," Sullivan said. Numerous powerful Republican leaders, including House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, have pledged their support for pay parity.

A prominent federal workers' union also praised Allen for his attempt on Wednesday.

"Rep. Allen, whose support for federal employees is long-standing, offered a clear rationale for continuing the tradition of pay parity," said National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen M. Kelley. "Even though the amendment was withdrawn, its introduction points to increasing support for pay parity that is bipartisan, bicameral and growing."