Posted on 01/05/2014 5:01:12 AM PST by SkyPilot
Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, D-Va.
Military veterans are pressuring Congress to move quickly when it reconvenes this week to cancel cuts in pensions for working-age vets - a change set in motion as part of last month's budget deal.
However, reversing the decision to reduce cost-of-living pension increases could be difficult and, at best, would take some time to negotiate, say some legislators and lobbyists.
Federal lawmakers from Hampton Roads, which has one of the nation's largest concentrations of retirees and active-duty service members, strongly support undoing the cuts. Most have already proposed or are co-sponsoring legislation to do so.
But members of Congress from regions with considerably smaller military communities may not be as driven to make a quick fix.
Mike Hayden, government relations director for the Military Officers Association of America, said many members of Congress represent constituents who've seen the demise of private pensions and the up-and-down cycle of 401(k) investments and don't see why the military should be treated differently.
"Fewer and fewer members of Congress have actually served in the military," Hayden said. The officers association, other veterans groups and their supporters contend the pensions are part of the promise made to men and women when they joined the service. They argue that any changes should affect only newcomers, not those already in the ranks.
The issue arose in mid-December when congressional budget negotiators agreed to cut 1 percent of the annual cost-of-living increase added to pensions of military retirees younger than 62. The rationale was that younger veterans typically move on to civilian jobs and aren't dependent solely on their pensions.
The reduction was included in a sweeping budget deal that sought to ease the pain of automatic defense cuts, known as sequestration.
(Excerpt) Read more at hamptonroads.com ...
"The longer this gets kicked down the road, the more it becomes status quo," he said, adding that his group believes the pension cuts are a signal of changes to come.
"From our perspective, this is just the tip of the iceberg," he said.
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I have been following recent news stories, and it looks like Congress is going to do nothing to reverse the betrayal to America's military retirees who served this nation in uniform.
On military pensions, no agreement
“The ones the Democrats are offering to close corporate tax loopholes — Republicans are never going to go for that... The same thing on Republican side with credits for illegal immigrants. They know it’s not going to fly with the Dems.” House and Senate leaders have not said whether they plan to bring up any bills to restore the military benefits cuts. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) did not include the military pension issue in his January legislative agenda. A Senate leadership aide said retirement benefits legislation would not be considered next week, and could not elaborate beyond that.
However, Hagel is moving the DoD at light speed to give away Millions of dollars in benefits to homosexuals and their bedroom playthings, and to make them feel good about their sins.
Here is what I predict:
- Congress will do nothing to repeal the military pension theft
- They will publish a "technical correction" that they claim will cover disabled military retirees, but the language will only exempt those who retired early, not combat injured (even those who are 100% disabled and have a Purple Heart) who served their 20 years and now have a VA rating
- Widows may be exempted, but they may be lost in the shuffle of these horrendous back door politics; remember; widows were not even exempted from the original legislation and Washington DC cared not one iota
- Obama, Hagel, and others are going to use this pension cut as a hammer to open the floodgates for an all out assault on military benefits; expect "working age retirees" to be thrown out of TRICARE
- None of the legislation to repeal the pension cuts to our military retirees will see the light of day; they will be lost in the political smoke (this could change if there is even more of an public outcry, but Congress knows the issue will lose steam quickly and be lost in the Washington sewer)
- The Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission is a sham organization, designed to give political cover to those who wish to decimate military benefits; it will only recommend even further cuts and will not allow testimony from those who will be harmed the most - it is nothing but a Stalin show trial
ping
Evil has faces, I see. I submit that Congress people should receive NO pensions, the jobs there in the Capitol were not supposed to be lifelong and they should plan accordingly. The military signed contracts and like the Native Americans in our history the veterans are being shoved aside.
Come on, we have no time or money for our Veterans. But Illegal aliens?! Roll out the Red carpet for them!
Washington Taxpayers Foot $2.7 Billion Annual Bill for Illegal Immigration
The more than $3.5 billion in costs incurred by Illinois taxpayers annually.
The list goes on. Shameful.
Paul Ryan and his ilk must be run out of office!!
You are entirely correct. When I first heard of the veteran’s cuts was before the House vote. They knew it all along, did nothing about it when they could (as if they really wanted to) and then promised a “fix” after the bill was passed.
Then it went to the Senate where amendments were not permitted to come to the floor to “fix” it but the fix was already in.
So then along comes Ryan and the rest of the GOPe along with some Dems in trouble promising a “legislative fix” in the next session using the excuse that everyone had gone home and there was no way to have a Conference. The clock had run out as designed and promises of “fixes” was supposed to quell the masses. The only problem in selling that one was that it would never get through the Senate, period.
So now that reality has struck all the promises of “fixes” we now have so-called safe seat Senators admitting the obvious.
To anyone who still believes that the Republicans are our friends, I submit BULLCRAP to answer them. The reality still remains there are only two handfuls who are there to represent the interests of All their constituents and not just the money tree lobbyists.
To those two handfulls, we have your six and to the rest VOTE THEM ALL OUT!
To anyone who still believes that the Republicans are our friends, I submit BULLCRAP to answer them.
Now get the Tea Party to wake up!
The Revolution begins at the voting booth. Let’s begin with Paul Ryan, scum bag and he would rather spend our tax dollars on illegal aliens.
tea party movement.
Let us all make that strict distinction. As long as it is perceived to be a political party, it will suffer. The GOPe purposely labels it as a Party so they can move to diminish and talk of it as an adversary and not a constituent.
Agree. I finally came to that realization a year ago. I don't know what party these people think they are in, but Ronald Reagan would not recognize them.
Well what a surprise. Ryan lied before, during and now after his “intervertent mistake”.
Well I suspect we can expect nothing more from our elected liars.
Obviously the MSM and most of us forget the Budget Control Act of 2011. Obama had Boehner come to the White House plus Harry Reid met with Jack Lew who was the one who came up with the plan in late July 2011. We watched that dog and pony show for weeks. The whole scam was to get Obama and the left more money while buying time. The deficit reductions were to be figured out by the time they met this past year. Obama and pals claimed they’d never hurt defense.
The left and Obama got the money they wanted
by promising reductions this year. The left cannot be trusted to quit spending period. If the left is not the minority in both houses of congress after the next election-
Obama and pals will continue to blow over a trillion a year.
I suggest we concentrate on winning new seats and keeping the current ones they do not have.
The left and Obama got the money they wanted
You mean 99 % of the Republicans and Obama. thats what “THE LEFT” means now.
Flood the DC switchboard at:
202-224-3121
Ask for the amoral, power-hungry, Elitist of your choice.
$17,000,000,000,000 and fifty years fighting The War On Poverty. How about we declare a Peace Dividend from this war? Generations of Democrat politicians and welfare families hand-in-hand coasting through life.
Lack of support to help our veterans will come back to haunt every damn one of the crooked ba$tard in Washington.
OK brothers in arms, its getting to be “payback time “
Perhaps you do not recall the 2012 budget when Ryan tried to get Defense the money that Obama cut with the 2011 deal. This is even from CBS.http://www.cbsnews.com/news/paul-ryan-on-defense-budget-generals-arent-giving-us-their-true-advice/
I disagree that all Republicans are the same as the left. The reason Obama is in office right now instead of Romney is because some refuse to accept the lesser of two evils. No,I did not like Romney, did not like McCain, but; look what is happening to this nation with Obama. We cannot take control from Obama without both houses of Congress. Yes, I’d prefer 100% religious conservatives, but; that is not realistic now. I hate seeing this nation turned into the likeness of the ends of the Roman and Greek empires. This post modern liberal progressive crap has spread to the military, every school, and; it is sickening.
You are in DENIAL! We are spending more time fighting RINO REPUBLICANS than we are fighting liberals.
Gramnesty, Juan McPain. Mc Connel, Paul Ryan Bone -Head........The list goes on.
Even Rand Paul wants Amnesty which will be the final death blow to the AMERICAN WORKER!
There is a lesson you learn in life that is true 100 percent of the time: Clean up your OWN backyard first, the rest will follow.
OUR side of the yard is FILTHY! Thats why we have Obamacare!
Thats why we have 30 million illegal aliens in our country who caved in our housing market Stole American Worker jobs and now are getting Drivers Licenses.
Thats why Gay Marraige has passed in alot of States, because you can’t tell the Republicans from the Democrats.
IT IS NOT the Will of the People, it’s about Career Republican Politicians doing what is good for them.
‘Hep-ho, the military gay rodeo....’
With the rise of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Syria, and Libya who is the government going to deploy.
I have advise the next fighting generation in my Family not to serve since the government appears to be breaking promises to my generation. First they went after our Cola, now they are going after our Tricare benefits.
I see the US government having to start the draft again, because the all-volunteer force will not be there, the government forgot the future all-volunteer force are the children and relatives of the retired Vets they betrayed. We need to advise all our Children and Relatives of what the government did….
I ask why fight for a government (socialist government) who does not share your same values.
I am not a veteran, noone in my family is, but I will be a voice loud and clear defending our Veterans. I am ashamed of what is happening to those who chose to serve. It is a modern day atrocity.
And we reap what we sow, the chickens are coming home to roost. Shame on us.
Thank you for serving, I appreciate it.
As Obama continues playing golf, the country feels like it is awaiting a spark. Is this it, or is Obamacare? Or will anything spark the people to rise up? The Marxists are not going to let go of the levers of power without much more of a push from the people than has been seen until now.
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