Rep. Bishop pens letter to Secretary of Defense, James Mattis

Rep. Rob Bishop UT-01 is leading an effort to clarify the impact of a recent Presidential Memorandum which places a “freeze on the hiring of Federal civilian employees.” Civilian depot workers, like the thousands employed at Utah’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex, are protected by law from such freezes.

Rep. Bishop, and a bipartisan congressional coalition, have sent a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis seeking acknowledgment of these legal protections.

Rep. Bishop stated, “All federal employees deserve to be treated with clarity and fairness. As the Trump Administration moves forward finding ways to ease the burden on the taxpayer, I will continue in my efforts to ensure Utah’s workers enjoy the protections the law provides. President Trump has been clear in his desire to make our military stronger, and Utah is uniquely situated to support that mission. The civilian workers play a critical role in defending our nation.”  

Excerpt from letter:   “We respectfully urge you to take quick action to clarify that the current hiring freeze shall not apply to the hiring of defense civilians associated with the military industrial depots … We appreciate the difficult challenges that await you as you begin your tenure as the Secretary of Defense, and wish to express our willingness to work with you in addressing those challenges as we move forward together to support the defense of our nation.”