GovernmentExecutive.com

A House lawmaker's rigid stance against military-civilian pay parity could cost him votes at the polls in November.

Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Okla., is leading the congressional effort to block equal pay raises for military and civilian federal employees in fiscal 2005, despite the fact that he represents a district with a significant number of civil servants. President Bush has proposed 3.5 percent pay raises for the military and 1.5 percent raises for civil servants, but a large, bipartisan bloc of lawmakers are trying to make the raises equal.

Istook has said the federal government cannot afford the $2.2 billion it would cost to bring the civilian raise in line with the military raise. He has said also military personnel are in harm's way more often than civilians and deserve a larger raise.

Pay parity supporters have argued that many federal employees are on the front lines in the war against terrorism and competitive pay levels are needed for the government's retention and recruitment efforts.

Istook's prominent stand against equal pay raises has raised the ire of some federal employees in his congressional district, which includes Oklahoma City. The 5th District is home to several FAA facilities and a new federal building that replaced the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which was bombed by Timothy McVeigh on April 19, 1995. The attack killed 168 people, many of whom were federal employees. The new building houses offices for several federal agencies, including the Small Business Administration and the Housing and Urban Development Department.

Tinker Air Force Base is in Oklahoma's nearby 4th Congressional District, but many civilians who work there live in Istook's district. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., who represents that district, supported the "Sense of Congress" resolution supporting pay parity passed by the House last week. The House and Senate now are expected to include pay parity in fiscal 2005 appropriations legislation.

Andrew Gin, a neurologist from Oklahoma City, is seeking the Democratic nomination to run against Istook and is planning to make federal pay an issue in the election.

"Part of the reason that Dr. Gin has decided to seek the office is expressly because of these kinds of decisions by Rep. Istook, who has a long history of not supporting public employees," said Michael Carrier, a spokesman for the Gin campaign. Carrier said the 1995 bombing makes Istook's pay parity stance even more "exasperating."

"It's not only ironic, it's tragic," he said. "Obviously the people who work in federal offices in Oklahoma City have experienced firsthand ... what terrorism is like."

Even if Istook has upset federal workers, however, it is questionable whether Democrats have the ability to displace him. Istook won 62 percent of the vote in the 2002 election and the Almanac of American Politics (published by Government Executive's parent company) said earlier this year that Istook "seems able to win easily for the next decade."

Micah Swafford, a spokeswoman for Istook, said Oklahoma City federal workers do not seem to be upset with Istook's opposition to the higher civilian pay raises.

"As far as I know, we have not been hearing from federal employees," she said. "If we did, obviously, we would try to explain the congressman's position."

COMMENTS

• How could anyone who lives in this moron's district vote for him? Have we become that ignorant? Misunderstanding Posted April 22, 2004 6:29 PM
• There are numerous federal employees in Oklahoma City and Tinker Air Force base who are truly upset with the stance that Istook has taken concerning pay parity. If his office surveyed all of the federal employees in his district he would know just how upset we really are. I hope that whoever runs against him will give him a run for his money. Myself and other federal employees don't need people like Istook in public office decreasing our ability to earn a decent living. JANICE j yOUNG Posted April 19, 2004 11:14 AM
• I believe the policy should be equal pay for the same work. Why should the person sitting beside me make more money doing the same job I do simply because he wears a uniform? We both go home at night to our families; pick the kids up from day care; take them to soccer practice etc. Pay extra to all that are in a declared battlezone. Ken Comfort Posted April 13, 2004 8:17 AM