Congress sent a bill to the White House Thursday that would extend buyout authority for the Defense Department and eliminate thousands of positions in DoD headquarters management and in the department's acquisition workforce. President Clinton has threatened to veto the bill over a provision that would require half of all Defense depot maintenance work to be performed by government employees.
The Senate passed the 1998 Defense Authorization bill 90 to 10 Thursday, after the House approved it by a 286-to-123 vote last week. The showings in both houses suggest a Clinton veto could be overridden. The measure authorizes $268.2 billion in Defense spending.
The Clinton administration is opposed to a provision changing the amount of depot maintenance work that can be performed by contractors from 40 percent to 50 percent. The administration wants all depot work open to public-private competition.
Supporters of the provision say the switch from a 60/40 formula to a 50/50 formula is a compromise. But the issue has been infused with regional politics since Clinton blocked the closing of depots in California and Texas before the 1996 election. The work would have been transferred to depots in other states, but the administration promoted "privatization-in-place," a scheme that would keep jobs in California and Texas but transfer them into the private sector.
New American Federation of Government Employees President Bobby Harnage urged Clinton to sign the bill.
"Enactment of the depot maintenance compromise is critical for both warfighters and taxpayers. Warfighters need to know that national security-critical work on ships, tanks and planes continues to be performed by experienced and reliable federal employees," Harnage said. "Taxpayers, on the other hand, deserve the savings that can be generated by full and fair competition for work which is not inherently governmental."
Other provisions of the bill include:
- A reduction of active-duty personnel by 20,000 in 1998--11,000 from the Navy and 9,000 from the Air Force and a 25 percent reduction in headquarters management and support personnel. The department's acquisition workforce would be reduced by 25,000 positions in 1998, though the secretary of Defense is given permission to waive the cut.
- An extension of buyout authority for the department from Sept. 30, 1999 to Sept. 30, 2001.
- Incentives to retain aviators, nuclear-qualified officers, dentists and others in hard-to-keep professions.
- Several family-friendly provisions to improve benefits for military personnel and their families, including higher separation allowances when service members are stationed away from home, more money for family housing, $32 million for seven child development centers and increased funding for the Defense Health Program.
- Additional money for recruitment advertising.
- Army drill sergeant selection and training reform, including psychological screenings and a revised evaluation system.
- Permission for Defense agencies to bypass the Defense Automation and Printing Service for printing work.
- A requirement that 90 percent of purchases under $2,500 be made using government purchase cards by Oct. 1, 2000.
- $11.5 billion for Energy Department military programs, down $2.1 billion from the president's request.
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