A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that there should continue to be parity between the adjustments in the compensation of members of the uniformed services and the adjustments in the compensation of civilian employees of the United States.

Mr. President, I am called to join with Senators Akaka, Bingaman, Cantwell, Clinton, Durbin, Kennedy, Levin, Lieberman, Mikulski, Murray, Nelson, E. Benjamin, and Warner in introducing a resolution that would express the sense of the Congress that parity in the pay increases granted to Federal civilian and military employees should be maintained. A comparison of military and civilian pay increases by the Congressional Research Service finds that in 14 of the last 17 years military and civilian pay increases have been identical. Disparate treatment of civilian and military pay goes against the longstanding policy of parity for all those who have chosen to serve our Nation, whether that service be in the civilian workforce or in the armed services.

During this unpredented time in our Nation's history, both members of the armed services and civilian Federal employees are fighting the war on terrorism and making remarkable contributions to the safety of this country and our citizens. Both the armed forces and civilian employees are on the front lines in the fight against terrorism, and civilian employees are playing a significant role in that fight.

For example, civilian employees of the new Department of Homeland Security are working to ensure the safety of our Nation. Air marshals and members of the Transportation Security Agency are making America's skies safer. Civilian employees of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the events of September 11th and working to prevent further terrorist attacks. And Federal employees at the State Department are working with other countries in an international coalition against terrorism.

In addition, there are numerous Federal employees who participated in disaster response teams on September 11th and during the anthrax attacks. And every day, thousands of civilian Federal employees continue to go to work and carry out their responsibilities in this unpredictable time.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution expresses the sense of the Congress that parity between the adjustments in Federal civilian pay and military pay should be maintained. For Fiscal Year 2003, President Bush gave a 4.1 percent pay raise to members of the armed services, but only a 3.1 percent pay raise to our dedicated public servants. This discrepancy violates the traditional principle of pay parity, and does not recognize the crucial work of the civilian Federal workforce. Furthermore, this discrepancy ignores the express wish of Congress that the principle of pay parity be followed. Past budget resolutions and Treasury-Postal appropriations bills approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives have included language expressing the ``sense of Congress that rates of compensation for civilian employees of the United States should be adjusted at the same time, and in the same proportion, as are rates of compensation for member of the uniformed services.''

In this difficult time, the dedication and commitment of both the armed services and our civilian employees demonstrate the greatness of our Nation. The contribution of both should be recognized.