Posted on 02/06/2013 9:37:42 AM PST by kristinn
Just days before he leaves office, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is recommending military pay be limited, effectively decreasing troop salaries next year.
Panetta will recommend to Congress that military salaries be limited to a 1% increase in 2014. The Pentagon has calculated that the Labor Department's 2014 Employment Cost Index is expected to be above 1% but wants to still cut back on pay because of "budget uncertainties," a department official told CNN. In 2013, a 1.7% increase was approved, based on the index, which has been the basis for military pay for the last several years.
Three Pentagon officials have confirmed details of the plan to CNN. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have also agreed to Panetta's proposed pay plan. Final approval for the pay would come from Congress in the form of the 2014 budget.
The recommendation is tied to the Defense Department's 2014 budget recommendation, which was expected to be sent to Congress this month, one of the officials said. But the officials acknowledge it is going to be seen as an effort to push Congress to stop the automatic budget cuts that could go into effect if no deal is reached on spending reductions.
(Excerpt) Read more at security.blogs.cnn.com ...
My comment: Troop suicides aren't high enough for Obama? I can't recall a time where a commander-in-chief cut the pay of the military during a war.
But Federal Employees still get automatic COLIs (raises) ??
My God, is there no end to what these ba$tards will do to our military, our families, our country, and our homes? Is there no end?
“Just days before he leaves office...”
Coward.
This is one of those government ‘cuts’. Where it’s still an increase, but not as much as usual.
RAT math...if I’m reading this right, a 1% increase as opposed to a 1.7% increase is a cut.
Our soldiers should be better off than those on Section 8, EBT cards, Welfare, and SSDI.
Did they already cut the military increases over the last couple of years? I wish I could say I was surprised,,but I’m not. Scumbag Panetta. Meanwhile, Gov Quinn in Illinois wants to raise the state’s minimum wage to $10 an hour. Again, who is surprised?
The list, Ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
This guy is an idiot!
IF your gonna cut, cut those Congressmen, Senators, and the Executive Branch!
To even think about cutting Service Personell pay is treason!
COLI has been frozen for about 3 years now ...
but why in the world would they even consider cutting military pay and not fed employee pay?.......it's an obscenity...
Yes he is. But the "man" that ordered him to do this is a way bigger coward.
It will be a 1% hike instead of 1.7%. They're calling that a "cut".
While I don’t approve in this case, he is at least being consistent in calling a reduction of a planned increase a spending cut...they do it all the time. This is what Democrats do: Reductions in planned increases are a CUT.
I'll take things that begin with the letter "U" for $100 Alex.
They're going to have to find $50 B or so in cuts on the domestic side too.
It hasn't been mentioned as much because they're trying to browbeat the GOP to back down on sequestration by hammering only military stories, but Obama will eventually have to come up with cuts on his side...which are domestic cuts.
Numbers. There are more active duty. I’m only talking Dept Of Defense fed employees. The civilians pay have been frozen for a while now. You only get step increases if elegible. Mil retirement pay have been frozen too. They claim it’s because the cost of living have not increased the last three years. No idea what drugs they are smoking.
I think last year there was a retiree pay increase but medical costs went up so it was a net zero.
I’m kinda happy because I know a few who voted for this.
The government found something they want to cut! Shocker that it is this.
The pay 'cuts' just happen to coincide with women getting combat status.
The glass ceiling rears its ugly head again!
What does Panetta have to lose politically for this timely scare tactic? Dear Leader will just blame the rich (while continuing to screw over the middle class). Win-Win.
Should not be cutting military pay. Should be a Constitutional Amendment limiting Congressional raises to 1% per year. You know, perhaps all of us should hold an annual vote for their raise?
This will free up more money to pay that $50,000 to those imaginary pig farmers who don’t know the front end from the back end of a hog. They need more money to buy votes.
“during a war”
Okay, but this war, or these wars, are more “wars” than actual wars. They could go on for generations like the “cold war.”
What's our response? Cut the muscle and feed the fat.
Executive and Legislative Branches first.
Limit AF-1 flights as well
“My God, is there no end to what these ba$tards will do to our military, our families, our country, and our homes? Is there no end?”
There is.
It will come when they have
- dismantled the military
- broken up your families
- taken possession of your homes, and
- destroyed the country.
Calm down a bit, there. Nobody raped your mother. This is one of those gubmint “cuts,” whereby it goes up, just not as much as previously planned. It’s a bit silly to get all up in arms about, considering: a). we’re broke, and b). they’re so far away from being paid a market wage that anywhere we set it is arbitrary.
What has been the average raise in the private sector?
In many areas, a 1% is typical.
“why in the world would they consider cutting military pay and not fed employee pay pay?”
Votes. Military employees are fewer than federal employees in general.
By the way, when you hear military pay you think of Johnny what got his gun, but it’s probably one out of a hundred or some ridiculous figure that are actually in harm’s way. Most of them are bureaucrats or humps just like everywhere else.
Panetta isn’t recommending anything. It’s the traitor in chief that is doing it. Panetta is just his little minion.
Both are cowards of the worst sort.
I don’t know about the prez, but I think it’s illegal to cut Congress’ pay in the middle of the game, and that’s because of how we wrote the law intended to forestall pay hikes.
Why not recommend a pay cut for the House and the Senate?
And the C-i-C?
Only in Washington is a 1% increase in pay, a pay cut...
AMEN!!
Feds pay has been frozen for 3 years. No COLAs either. Cost of all their benefits went up; hence a cut in pay.
Cut the number of federal employees by about 25%.
Cut federal employees salaries and the pay for congress, senate and the president by 25%.
Cut Queen Moo’s Royal Staff and cut out some of her million dollar vacations.
She can surely survive with fewer than 30 or 40 servants to walk her dog, plant her garden, paint her nails, brush her wigs and powder her gigantic butt.
But leave the military alone.
Awwww. Poor things. How long before private sector wages catch up to them.
All this while the Republicans are self ostracized from any coherent message that fights
back against the Washington machine. There will be no good foreseeable future for anybody under either party.
You took the words right out of my mouth...
The only way to cut the horns off this bull (chit) is secession.
It might seem tasteless, even treasonous to some but, it’s the only way.
We don’t even need to actually do it, just make them think we will.
An American Spring!
Ther hasn't been one for at least three years.
And, this is not a decrease in mil pay. It is a lower INCREASE.
I retired in 2008. After taxes and deductions, my pay is smaller in actual numbers than it was in 2008. But of course, gas & food costs less than it did 4 years ago, right?
Your ignorance is an obscenity.
Here's your opportunity to redeem yourself:
1. When was the last cost of living increase for federal government employees?
2. List the details of outrageous federal government employee benefits and pensions.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.