Washington (CNN) -- Nearly 800,000 civilian workers would be forced to take one day of leave per week without pay if automatic spending cuts go into effect as scheduled, the Defense Department told Congress Wednesday.
The furloughs would start
in the last week of April and last for 22 weeks, according to the
Pentagon plan. It's unclear what would happen after 22 weeks.
The Pentagon's plan is in
response to the mandatory, across-the-board federal budget cuts, known
as sequestration, that are set to begin on March 1. The cuts, mandated
by a 2011 agreement to raise the federal debt ceiling, will take effect
unless lawmakers come up with another deficit reduction plan.
The workers who would be
furloughed could include office staff, aircraft and ship maintenance
workers, schoolteachers and medical staff.
Under federal law, the
Pentagon is obligated to notify Congress of furloughs 45 days before
they go into effect, and the workers 30 days before they are furloughed.
The military services and
other defense agencies will have to maintain at least minimum staffing
for the "safety of property and safety of life," Defense Department
spokeswoman Lt. Col. Elizabeth Robbins said. That means, for example, a
military base would have to maintain a minimum force of security
personnel.
Similarly, military
hospitals must have enough medical staff to provide services to
active-duty personnel, including the wounded.
Another crucial service
is Defense Department-run schools. Enough teaching staff, including
special education teachers, will have to remain on the job for the
schools to remain accredited and for there to be a credible full school
year of education.
Robbins said these
issues will be resolved in the coming days as various elements of the
department submit their specific plans and apply for waivers of
personnel they believe must be kept on the job.
The initial plans for
across-the-board furloughs do not distinguish between essential and
nonessential personnel. That will have to come through waivers approved
by the Pentagon, Robbins said.
Furloughed personnel
would not be allowed to work from home. For now, no decision has been
made about whether work cell phones, digital devices and laptop
computers would be confiscated for those days.
Health care benefits would be maintained, Robbins said.
