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I am pleased to see the action of the House Armed Services Committee in calling for a 2007 pay raise of 2.7 percent for members of the military—higher than the 2.2 percent proposed by the administration. When the president’s budget proposal was unveiled earlier this year, NTEU noted that a 2.2 percent raise would fail to keep pace with inflation—and that an increase of that size effectively minimizes the contributions of those who serve the public, whether as members of the military or as part of the federal civilian workforce. A larger increase for military families clearly is in order. So too, however, is a larger increase for the men and women of the government’s civilian workforce. Their proposed 2007 raise, also slated at 2.2 percent, should be raised in line with the House Armed Services Committee action. That would reflect the growing bipartisan congressional understanding of the need for military-civilian pay parity. That support is evidenced, among other ways, by a January letter to the president from Washington-area House members, each of whom has been a strong supporter of a fair and equitable pay raise for both those in the military and the civilian workforce. Each of the signers of that letter, organized by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), represents a large number of federal workers. Each knows the importance of pay parity. Each strongly supports that traditional concept. NTEU will work for continuation of this important principle that serves the nation so well by enhancing and supporting federal agency recruiting and retention efforts.