All three U.S. congressmen representing Prince William County say they oppose across-the-board federal spending cuts mandated by the sequester. But in their first chance to act on cuts this session, two moved to keep them alive for the rest of the fiscal year.

In a House vote Wednesday, Rep. Rob Wittman, a Republican representing Virginia’s 1^st district, and Rep. Frank Wolf, a Republican representing the 10^th district, voted to approve a resolution that will fund the government beyond the March 27 budget deadline while also keeping sequestration-level funding in place.

But the bill also includes full-year funding for the 2013 defense appropriations bill and the military construction/veterans affairs appropriations bill -- important changes supporters say will allow planners more flexibility to manage the cuts. There are no similar provisions to mitigate cuts to non-defense programs.

The resolution was approved on a vote of 267 to 151, with most Republicans voting in favor and most Democrats opposed. The resolution marked the first time the current Congress acted on sequestration cuts, which were originally approved in a 2011 vote to raise the federal debt ceiling.

Rep. Gerald Connolly -- a Democrat representing Virginia’s 11^th district, which includes eastern Prince William and parts of Fairfax County -- voted against the resolution. In debate prior to the vote, Connolly called the decision to bake sequestration cuts into the continuing resolution “a terrible mistake.”

In addition to causing harm to the military and the economy, Connolly said the sequester cuts “once again treat federal workers like a punching bag.”

“Our highly skilled and dedicated public workforce is on the frontlines securing our borders, conducting innovative research, protecting our food supply and so many other jobs vital to our safety and our economy,” Connolly said in statement issued after the vote. “They already have made sacrifices in pay and benefits totaling more than $100 billion to help reduce our nation’s debt.”

The measure prolongs the current freeze on federal civilian employee pay for a third year. President Obama had issued an executive order late last year that would have given federal workers a .5 percent pay hike in 2013.

Connolly contends it’s members of Congress who should get a pay freeze, and he’s introduced a bill to do just that.  In the meantime, he said he hopes the Senate will offer a “more reasonable proposal” to continue funding the government this year.

Wittman, who chairs the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, said he voted for the resolution because it keeps the government functioning and provides military leaders with the flexibility to avoid “critical readiness shortfalls.”

“I remain concerned that this legislation did not address averting sequestration,” he said in a statement after the vote. “I will continue to push for common sense solutions to reform the forced budget cuts, avoid furloughs for federal employees, and ensure our military is prepared to meet the threats of the 21st century.”

In an interview late last week, Wittman -- whose district sweeps from Newport News to Montclair and areas west of Manassas -- said he supports federal spending cuts but is concerned about the sequester’s impact on the military and the local economy.

“With every fiber of my being, I’m going to make sure people know this is not the right way to do this,” Wittman added. “We do need to make cuts in our budget, but not like this.”

Wolf, whose district includes western Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park, said he remains hopeful the worst of the sequester cuts still can be avoided.

“[Sequestration] is going to cast a pall over all of the economy,” he added. “It’s going to result in fewer jobs being created.”

Wolf said he favors eliminating the sequestration cuts with a larger plan to deal with the entire federal budget, similar to what was suggested by the Simpson-Bowles Commission.

“Otherwise, you know what’s going to happen? We’re going to go from crisis to crisis and there’s a sense of [budget] fatigue building up that’s not good for anybody.”The continuing resolution, known as H.R. 933, will now head to the U.S. Senate. Democrats, who hold the majority, are expected to add provisions that will attempt to soften the blow of sequester cuts to domestic programs.

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