Defense Department Cuts Furlough Days to 11

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announces that the one-day-a-week furlough period will begin July 8.

The Department of Defense said its civilian workforce will now experience 11 furlough days, down from an original projection of 21.  The furlough period will kick in on July 8. Most workers will be required to take off one day a week during the period, according to a statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.  "Furloughs for 11 days represent about half of the number we had originally planned, reflecting the Department’s vigorous efforts to meet our budgetary shortfalls through actions other than furlough," Hagel said.  The furloughs have been deemed necessary in order to accommodate the across-the-board federal budget cuts that went into effect on March 1. Hagel said the department needed to find $30 million in savings. Hagel said he …

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Defense Department Cuts Furlough Days to 14

The Department of Defense said workers will only be required to take 14 days off during a five month period.

The Department of Defense said it has cut the number of furlough days for civilian workers from 22 to 14, the Washington Post reported Thursday.  The furlough days would stretch from late June into September. Earlier, the DOD said furloughs would begin in April.  The Post said that the decision to reduce furloughs came after the approval of the most recent budget, which allowed the DOD to move money into accounts to pay civilian workers.  Active military service members are exempt from the furloughs, along with some civilian workers in critical areas.  The furloughs are required due to a Congressional mandate for across-the-board budget cuts, known as the sequester.  How will this reduction in furlough days impact you?

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Bank Head Says Expect Small, Steady Economic Growth

Speaking in Gambrills on Tuesday, Mike Livingston of the Bank of Glen Burnie says economic conditions are gradually improving despite some "headwinds."

Despite looming federal budget cuts and uncertainty overseas, a local bank head said he expects the national and local economy to gradually improve over the course of 2013.  Mike Livingston, president of the Bank of Glen Burnie, said a number of economic indicators suggest the economy is continuing to climb out of the hole. But he cautioned that general uncertainty over federal budget cuts and the economy is still hurting consumer spending.    "It's like when you find your car in a ditch. It doesn't really matter how you got there, just that you're coming out," he said.  Livingston is also the chairman of the board of the Anne Arundel County Economic Development Corp. He spoke Tuesday at the monthly breakfast meeting of the West Anne …

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Fort Meade Outlines Details on Furloughs

Officials reach an agreement with a labor union on one-day-a-week furloughs, which could kick in April 26 and extend to September.

Fort Meade has reached agreements with a major labor union regarding the possibility of furloughs due to federal budget cuts.  Notices of furloughs will go out to DOD workers at Fort Meade as soon as Thursday, according to a memorandum of agreement signed by Fort Meade officials and the American Federation of Government Employees AFL-CIO Local 1923. Workers could face furloughs of as long as 22 non-consecutive days, beginning on April 26 and extending to Sept. 21, if necessary. Workers would be required to take off 16 hours—or two days—each pay period, or essentially one day a week.  The furloughs have been deemed necessary due to across-the-board cuts to federal spending, known as the sequester, that kicked in on March 1.  Included in the…

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Cardin: Let's Act Now to Avoid Cuts

The Maryland senator said there is still time to stave off the effects of sequestration.

Fort Meade Prepares for Sequester

The installation is looking for ways to do "less with less" if leaders in Washington can't strike a new deal to stave off deep spending cuts.

Fort Meade Readies for Looming Sequester

The Department of Defense could see spending cuts of more than 9 percent, leading to possible furloughs for civilian workers.

With the threat of deep budget cuts lingering, officials at Fort Meade are preparing for the need to carry out missions with fewer resources.  Congress has yet to reach an agreement to stop the automatic cuts known as the sequester, which would force $85 billion in across-the-board cuts to government spending in 2013, including more than $40 billion to the Department of Defense. The cuts would begin to take place on March 1, barring a new agreement from Congress and President Obama.  "Every program gets a cut, so their base operating budget will get a cut, and they'll have to figure out how to do less with less," said Katherine Hammack, the assistant secretary of the Army in charge of installations. "I won't say more with less, because it'…

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