Ohio might see $166M in Pentagon civilian cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says Ohio might see nearly $166 million in Defense Department civilian payroll cuts if automatic government spending cuts kick in March 1.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Congress on Wednesday that if a budget deal isn’t reached, he may have to shorten the workweek for the “vast majority” of the Defense Department’s 800,000 civilian workers. They’d lose one day of work per week, or 20 percent of their pay, for up to 22 weeks, probably starting in late April.

Pentagon figures show its civilian payroll in Ohio for the 2012 fiscal year was about $1.96 billion. The possible cuts could reduce that to an estimated $1.79 billion for the 2013 fiscal year.

The biggest potential civilian payroll losses would be in Virginia, California, Maryland, Texas and Georgia.