Furloughed Defense Department Employees Called Back To Work

The Defense Department government-shutdown-related furlough of civilian Pentagon employees is coming to an end.

Most will be back on the job on Monday.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced that the he is recalling about 350,000 civilian workers, nearly half of the 800,000 federal workers who have been on furlough. According to the Hartford Courant, “Hagel made his decision after department lawyers said it was legal under the Pay Our Military Act, a measure passed by Congress shortly before the partial government shutdown began on Tuesday, officials said.”

As The Inquisitr has previously reported, Democrats and Republicans in the US House of Representatives have already agreed to retroactively pay the entire cohort of 800,000 furloughed federal workers once the government reopens. The measure still has to pass the Senate.

Despite the media hoopla, about 80 percent of the federal workforce has remain unaffected by the government shutdown, which under the circumstances some are calling a “slimdown”

Secretary Hagel indicated that the Pay Our Military Act doesn’t permit a blanket recall of non-uniformed Pentagon workers but it does allow an end furloughs “for employees whose responsibilities contribute to the morale, well-being, capabilities and readiness of service members.” This appears to be a broad definition.

Said Hagel: “I am now directing the military departments and other DoD components to move expeditiously to identify all employees whose activities fall under these categories. I expect us to be able to significantly reduce — but not eliminate — civilian furloughs under this process.”

According to the Washington Post, “Those who will likely receive a green light include people who provide health care to troops and their families; buy, repair or maintain weapons systems; work at commissaries or acquire other supplies for the military.”

The fact that most Pentagon employees are going to back to work may perhaps lessen the pressure to resolve the current impasse between House Republicans and Senate Democrats over the government shutdown and a continuing resolution to fund the federal government.