Furloughs

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says he’s still reviewing options that may avert furloughs more than three months after the Pentagon said automatic budget cuts may require unpaid leave for as many as 750,000 civilian workers.

WASHINGTON — Through months of hand-wringing over automatic budget cuts facing the federal government, the Defense Department has insisted that most of its 800,000 civilian employees will feel the same pain if the department decides to furlough its workers.

But as the Pentagon approaches its planned date in early May for issuing notices to begin furloughs in June, it faces pressure from inside and outside the department to rethink its plans.

WASHINGTON -- Congress easily approved legislation Friday ending furloughs of air traffic controllers that have delayed hundreds of flights daily, infuriating travelers and causing political headaches for lawmakers.

WASHINGTON -- Senior Pentagon leaders are taking another look at sharply reducing the number of unpaid furlough days that department civilians will have to take in the coming months, suggesting they may be able to cut the number from 14 to as few as seven, defense officials said Thursday.

HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Bette Parkin says weekly trips to her favorite restaurant might have to end if the federal government implements furloughs for civilian employees of the Department of Defense later this year.

Parkin, a full-time DoD employee, is one of thousands of people at Hill Air Force Base who are looking at smaller paychecks come June.

As part of automatic budget cuts known as sequestration, the DoD has been directed to cut funding from its civilian payroll in the current fiscal year. In order to accomplish that, many civilian employees will be required to take unpaid leave time.

WASHINGTON -- Pentagon officials plan to cut the furloughs of civilian workers to 14 days from 22, easing the pain for as many as 750,000 employees, according to a U.S. official.

Attorney General Eric Holder says he has averted daily furloughs of 3,570 federal prison staffers around the country, staving off what would have been a serious threat to the lives and safety of staff, inmates and the public.