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.

[allmendream]

How much inflation do you expect next year... <1% >1% =1%? If inflation is >1% they have experienced a cut in how much they get paid - because each dollar is worth less. That is why "quantitative easing" (i.e. printing money) has the effect of making the entire nation take a pay cut - and a decrease in savings.

[SkyPilot]

Our soldiers should be better off than those on Section 8, EBT cards, Welfare, and SSDI.

Absolutely agree.

If there is one segment of society that has sacrificed, it is the military. Many of them have endured years away from their families. Loneliness. Deprivation. Hardship.

The proposed decrease in the military pay raise should not go into effect.

Neither should the $600 Billion in Sequestration cuts. The military is 17% of the budget, yet must absorb 50% of the cuts.

I have posted this before, but one of the best articles out there on this subject has been published by the Heritage Organization.

Don’t Gut Our Military: $150 Billion in Commonsense Proposals to Prevent Sequestration

The military is now dealing with carriers that have to return to port, not enough money to pay for fuel for aircraft, not enough money to train, not enough money to pay for existing contracts, not enough money to pay it's own civilian workers, and not enough money to pay for upgrades to weapons systems.

Entitlements are almost completely exempt from Sequestration. This is a Faustian bargain. We cannot pretend to cut 3/3rds of the budget while "exempting" entitlements and welfare (which consume almost 63% of all Federal dollars spent).

Our nation deserves better. Our military deserves better.

The Fiscal Cliff "deal" just gave away $200,000,000,000 (200 Billion) for extensions in unemployment benefits (again). We have spent almost 3/4 of a Trillion dollars since 2008, paying millions upon millions of Americans not to work. This is madness. BOTH parties whole heartily agreed to fund that. It wasn't even an argument.

Don't look for the Republicans to come in and save that day to hold off these assaults on military pay or the Defense budget.

If Congress and Obama weren't planning on cutting the legs out of Defense 1/2 through the fiscal year, and continuing the Sequestration cuts over the next 10 years, Panetta would never have had to propose this.

Look in the mirror America. Anyone who is not out there defending the military from our current budget assaults is part of the problem.

In recent weeks and days, Ryan, Bohener, and Cantor have become cheerleaders for cuts....any cuts....at any price. Even if our nation's military suffers.

Where are the leaders in the GOP? We used to have them.

[newzjunkey]

Our soldiers should be better off than those on Section 8, EBT cards, Welfare, and SSDI.

And yet some of them are in the later groups too.

I know you're one of those who look down your nose on those in the 'social safety net' but that's real life.

[CodeToad]

Did retirees get COLA raises since 2008? Just asking.

[tomkat]

.. is there no end to what these ba$tards will do to ..

Not while they're still breathing.

[Half Vast Conspiracy]

You're making no sense. Can you provide anything other than noise? Maybe a coherent counter to something I've posted?

[HenpeckedCon]

Does anyone have the current military payroll list? I made twice as much money the first year I was out of the army in the 80's.

[American Dream 246]

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?

My God is there no end to the cowardness of "We The People" who keep on seeing all those horrible things happen and DO NOTHING???

[Mr Rogers]

We’ve had COLA adjustments, but taxes and increased fees seem to have eaten mine up. I live about 25 miles from town, which wasn’t a bad idea in 2004 - but the gas prices have been a killer.

If they would cut government by 25%, I’d accept a 25% cut in my retirement...but democrats always want to cut the evil military while increasing payments to people they like. And FWIW, a little known fact is that military retirement is prepaid. A part of the defense budget in any given year is set aside to fund future retirement costs. That has been true since 1984.

[ReformationFan]

With the direction our nation is headed in, it won’t be long before they demand our military work for free.

[Sequoyah101]

There is only one other level for my hate of these puss sucking maggots.

They have nothing but contempt for the men who signed up and live at the pleasure of the government. Men who start their day at 0330 and go for 18 hour stretches on a regular basis and risk their lives just as often.

The bastards of this administration spit on men whom they are not fit to be in the presence of.

I hate them.

[CodeToad]

My dad did 30 years and always felt they undercut increases by just enough that his buying power shrunk every year just about half a percent.

[Mr Rogers]

That sounds about right. I think the problem is that the inflation I see and what the government claims exist don’t match up. The government says, “But you can buy an I-phone cheap now!” But I have a choice about electronic goodies, and not much choice about gasoline and food. My aunt is 80, and she has the same problem. The stuff that makes up most of her monthly budget goes up, and she doesn’t WANT to buy a 50” TV...

[FlingWingFlyer]

This is some weird carp. First, they tell women that they will be required to serve in combat and then they cut their wages. Typical Kenyan person bovine scatology. The DemocRATS’ “war on women’s wages” continues.

[Secret Agent Man]

how’ bout biggest pay raises for military, and very little if any for other fedgov drones and those on the welfare dole.

[Tennessee Nana]

Nixon 1973

He did by holding up our promotions for 3 months

No promotion, no higher pay...

[Tennessee Nana]

Nixon 1973

He did by holding up our promotions for 3 months

No promotion, no higher pay...

[Fledermaus]

Even worse, they get automatic “step pay” and enough sick/vacation/personal time to choke a horse.

[2ndDivisionVet]

[DBrow]

“I know you’re one of those who look down your nose on those in the ‘social safety net’ but that’s real life. “

I’ve known several people who were saved by the social safety net and moved on when they didn’t need it. I have no problem with there being one, or of people needing it.
The ones that stand out, Auntie Zetunie in her free apartment getting free food, and the people who make it a lifelong career choice, yes I do not think highly of them, they are scamming me.

I know some military get services but I didn’t think it was a large fraction, do you know how many?

My point is we should care for the military more than we care for the welfare folks. Why not have every private live as well as Auntie Zetunie?