U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) is seeking support of an inclusion in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act that would eliminate any pay gap experienced by members of a Reserve component who are also employed by the federal government.

"President Bush himself expressed support for those employers who have gone above and beyond what is required by law in the support provided to their activated citizen-soldiers," Rahall said. "What is good for the goose should be good for the gander. The federal government should be able to do for its employees what private employers are doing."

In a letter to members of the Defense Appropriations Conference Committee, Rahall and his colleagues urged pay gap language be included in the final Conference Report presented to both the House and Senate.

"The Congressional Budget office estimates that the cost of the program will be about $116 million over five years, which is miniscule compared to the costs of recruiting and training new soldiers to replace those lost because of the pay gap," Rahall said.

"This is an important investment in the security of our homeland and in the future of tomorrow's leaders," Rahall said. "Critics of this legislation would be wise to recognize that this is money saved, not money spent."

A recently published Department of Defense Survey indicates that more than half of the men and women in the Guard and Reserve lose income as a result of their activation. According to the most recent figures, that would mean of the 142,614 citizen soldiers serving our country, more than 9,000 of them are Federal employees who are suffering financially for their service.

"The financial burden being suffered by our brave citizen soldiers is mind-boggling," Rahall said. "These men and women deserve to be honored and rewarded for their service to our country, not penalized for their courage and patriotism."

"Our soldiers remain foremost in the thoughts and minds of Southern West Virginians, and I will continue to devote my all to those who wear America's uniform," Rahall said.