Nine House legislators have sent a letter to President Bush urging that the Administration “embrace the principal of pay parity” between military members and federal civilian workers in the 2008 budget request. Led by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), lawmakers from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia—all with heavy loads of federal employees—signed the Jan. 22 letter, citing “the tradition of pay parity.” They also note the effect that the potential for wholesale retirement of “many of our most experienced employees” might have on recruitment and retention.
A dozen and a half Air Force Reservists formally transferred to the Space Force on July 15, becoming the new service’s first 18 part-time Guardians. The move is the culmination of more than two and a half years of work to create a system unlike any other military branch.