A pair of U.S. lawmakers have sent a letter to the U.S. State and Defense secretaries calling for a creative alternative to a threatened furlough of South Korean workers at U.S. military bases in South Korea amid protracted bilateral negotiations on defense cost sharing.

Voice of America reported Thursday that Rep. Ami Bera, the chairperson of the House Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, and fellow subcommittee member Rep. Ted Yoho sent the letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Wednesday. Bera is a Democrat and Yoho a Republican.

In the letter, both reaffirmed their support for increasing financial contributions from allies such as South Korea to support the cost of basing U.S. troops in their countries. 

However, they said that a furlough of South Korean workers at U.S. bases could seriously harm U.S. readiness in the theater. They warned Washington against taking any actions that could aggravate the threats posed internally by COVID-19 and externally by North Korea.

They called for authorities to craft creative alternatives to ensure that South Korean workers get paid through alternative means, including possibly extending the current bilateral agreement only insofar as payments to workers are concerned.

The U.S. has informed Seoul that South Korean workers could face a furlough from April 1 if a new cost-sharing agreement is not reached.