CNN: Panetta to Recommend Pay Cut For Military

CNN ^ | Wednesday, February 6, 2013 | Barbara Starr

[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.

[GeronL]

gotta feed those illegals and supply those tanks and fighter jets to Hamas somehow

[Wisconsinlady]

Panetta is scum. And they allow all of the fraud going on in the welfare states.

[Wisconsinlady]

Panetta is scum. And they allow all of the fraud going on in the welfare states.

[Eleutheria5]

The war is over. America won. The One says so.

[kcvl]

FIRST "Limit AF-1 flights as well”

& extravagant travel by the wookie & hangers on

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

Cut their pay but a subhuman piece of pig feces named Al Gore is now worth $200 million from the government investing in his hoax.

[Half Vast Conspiracy]

All those federal government employees out there in Afghanistan on patrol.

I'm not sure how that has anything to do with what I posted. I was calling out a poster who was making ridiculous claims.

[DBrow]

You have an excellent idea! Now let’s spread it...

[Owen]

Basic rule of finance:

If cubicles do not empty or paychecks do not get smaller, then you did not cut.

ALL federal employees and ALL federal retirees have to have their checks cut.

The number one threat to the US is fiscal. Period.

CUT. Cut now. Cut often. Cut deep. Or frankly, we will all die.

[devolve]

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Balacka “Skeeter” Hasan Obummer #2
1600 Pigford Avenue
Washington DC

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[Myrddin]

My dad often referred to the Aspin/Proxmire duo as "assmire"

[blueunicorn6]

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! You get snotty with someone whose comments hit a little too close to home for you, and then you act like you’re just a poor innocent bystander. I’ve been a civilian federal government employee and a Soldier. I know who is in the fighting position and who is asking for a desk audit.

[clamper1797]

The number one threat to the US is fiscal communism presently disguised as liberalism. Our present fiscal problems are caused (intentionally BTW) by the purveyors of liberalism. Period.

[plain talk]

Actually I am ok with real cuts not just a reduction of increase to 1% as long as it applies to All depts. We need to cut spending not just reduce growth. And i am ok with it applying to all depts including the military. Obviously military should be last place to cut but these bozos in DC can not prioritize anything. Therefore it should be across the board. But under no circumstances should the military get 1% and post office gets 1.7% or whatever

[ex-snook]

"ALL federal employees and ALL federal retirees have to have their checks cut. The number one threat to the US is fiscal. Period."

Of course, after they cut all payments to foreign countries for aid and nation building then do American citizens.

[Abathar]

"It will be a 1% hike instead of 1.7%. They're calling that a "cut"."<

Rate of inflation, they will have less spending power next year than they do this year, so in all honesty, yes, they are getting a pay cut.

[a fool in paradise]

Federal employees (including VP Biden) just got a pay raise.

[Candor7]

Socialista Panetta has been blabbing over the years that he will bring back the draft. So the first thing he will do to ruin the all volunteer service, the most effective military in the world, is to reduce the pay for our military.

We will soon have selective service again, but Obama style. People will be able to opt for 5 years of community service versus 3 years of military service. Those in community service will be armed and have shoot outs with the gangs of Chicago.

[SkyPilot]

Federal employees (including VP Biden) just got a pay raise.

You are only partially correct.

Obama proposed a 0.5% increase after a two year pay freeze, but it was never approved and all Federal pay continues to be frozen the third consecutive year. The House voted in January to continue the pay freeze. Obama's proposal was to increase pay after March 27th, but the Continuing Resolution stands in the way and any raise has yet to be finalized or dealt with.