Furlough Threat Lifted, for Now

The catchall spending bill that has been signed into law includes additional money for military operations that the Pentagon said it needed to prevent furloughs of tens of thousands of civilian employees, mainly in the Army and Marine Corps, in the February-March timeframe. The action lifts that threat, at least for the meantime. However, the measure did not provide everything the Pentagon requested, setting up the prospects for a similar round of threats later this year unless still more money is provided.