Posted on 12/22/2013 6:21:52 PM PST by SkyPilot
Last week the House passed the Ryan-Murray budget deal that inadvertently changed the benefits for service members who retired due to a disability or a service-related injury. This is not acceptable and was not the intention of either Chairman Ryan or Chairwoman Murray. I do not support changing the retirement benefits for disabled veterans, and today, I introduced a bill with House Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller (FL-01) that will ensure this COLA reduction does not impact service members who retired because of disability or a service-related injury. The bill I introduced will exempt:
- All veterans who medically retire;
- Any veteran receiving Combat Related Specialty Compensation (CRSC);
- Any veteran receiving Concurrent Receipt Pay (CRDP); and
- Surviving spouses receiving payments under the Survivor Benefit Program (SBP) from the one percent COLA reduction included in the Ryan-Murray budget deal.
Senator Murray is introducing a similar bill in the Senate, and I look forward to this important legislative fix becoming law soon.
It is important to remember that the Ryan-Murray budget deal does not affect disability-compensation benefits and does not impact any service members’ VA-provided medical care. Starting December 1, 2015, the Ryan-Murray budget deal reduces by one percent the COLA for any service member who retires after 20 years of service and is not yet 62 years old. Here is an example of how a COLA works under current law and how it will work under the Ryan-Murray budget deal:
If a service members’ retirement benefit is $100 per year and the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) is 2%. Under current law, the service members’ total payment would be their benefit ($100) plus their COLA ($2 because 2% of $100 = $2) which would equal $102 for that year. Under the Murray-Ryan budget deal, the service members’ total payment would be their benefit ($100) plus their COLA (which is 1% since 2%-1% = 1% and 1% of $100 is $1). Their total payment would equal $101 for that year. At age 62 the service members’ COLA, would revert to the annual CPI and their COLA would no longer be reduced.
Since the founding of our great country, we have been blessed with men and women who are willing to risk their lives to keep our county safe. It is one of the great privileges of my job to support the men and women who support us, and I will be working hard to ensure we fix the drafting error in the Ryan-Murray budget deal so that we do not reduce the retirement benefits for any service member who retired due because of disability or a service-related injury.
His editorial stands in marked contrast to an editorial published this morning in USA Today by Rep Paul Ryan.
Ryan's editorial is one of the most shameful things I have ever seen written by a Congressman. He admits that by cutting retired military and the future military pensions of those already serving, he is funneling money for more spending. He justifies his betrayal by claiming that without these changes, the Pentagon will go bankrupt! These "savings" by screwing our military are projected to be only $6 Billion over ten years. Our government spends $10.46 Billion per day.
Furthermore, Ryan and Sen Murray told the media a few days ago that disabled retired military would "fixed" in short order, and that it was an "oversight" that their pensions would also be cut. But Ryan's proposed "fix" in his article will NOT exempt disabled military retirees, including those who suffer combat or combat related injuries. Only "medically retired military", which is a very small sliver of all military retirees.
Rep Culberson is having nothing of it, and his more specific proposal WILL exempt those retirees with a disability.
This entire provision to betray military retirees must be removed in short order if the GOP has even a chance of regaining its credibility. It boggles the mind that Boehner rammed this travesty through.
The Senate tried to insert and Amendment that would have closed the Child Tax loophole for illegal aliens, who are bilking taxpayers out of some $4.2 Billion per year. Murray and Reid blocked it from even coming up for a vote.
Bless Rep Culberson - I hope he is successful. And shame on Paul Ryan.
Here is a fix— get rid of Ryan politically. He is a girly man and we truly hate him forever.
This supposed fix continues the lie that the retirement compensation of those who’ve borne the heat of battle SINCE 1990 should be cut BEFORE that of food stampers, welfarers, ssi’ers, corporate welfarists, foreign aid for enemies, abortion money to planned parenters, child tax credits for illegal aliens, art money for art endowers, etc., etc.
It is a betrayal. Nothing more, nothing less.
I’m so sickened that I put my vote next to the Romney/Ryan name. They are a wasteland of liberalism.
ANYONE who ever again tells me that I’m voting for the liberal by not voting for the republican is going to get brought back to this period of time...this Paul Ryan, John Boehner, John McCain, time of betrayal. They are worthless POS.
Inadvertently? Really?
These morons can’t even get their stories correct, one, ryan, says that he knew it was in there and the other,culberson, lies that is was inadvertently contained within the bill.
And yet they both voted for the bill.
As far as I’m concerned, he can blow this fix out of his butt. The current retirement system is fully funded by payments made DURING the member’s service. That includes expected COLAs.
The only reason to reduce the COLA of current retirees is so Congress can declare the trust fund overfunded, and pull money out of the trust fund and use it to pay current operations.
This guy’s fix will have almost no impact on the total, so it still represents a raid by Congress on the funding ALREADY SET ASIDE for current retirees. And unlike Social Security, this trust fund is in the black and projected to remain that way indefinitely.
Yes, I join you in praying for God’s blessings and strength upon anyone like Culbertson that will stand tall for our troops.
I talked to a young man the other day who honestly averaged 15 hours a day this last week as he does most weeks because so much has been pushed off to the remaining people who will work and can function and deliver in spite of all the crap they get dumped on them.
I can’t see the picture of this Marine without shedding a tear. They are not choir boys but almost all know about honor, tradition, loyalty and the Corps and just what that means. They are heroes to me until proven otherwise.
I correspond with a Marine Aviator who is now over 90 and work with another Marine Aviator. They share characteristics all these years apart. Confident, humble, astute, quick witted, observant, kind but firm. A Marine who works for us says his now Captain Son and he both went through the same induction and inculcation 30 years apart. It makes MEN. Semper Fi
If I had my way as king of the Nation for a day I would require that the USMC be in charge of all military boot camps and that all young men in this country would serve in the military or die trying. Men would be better and women would be better off for it.
By golly, the Army says Physical Training is NOT preparation for war. It must be preparation for lunch.
“ANYONE who ever again tells me that I’m voting for the liberal by not voting for the republican is going to get brought back to this period of time...this Paul Ryan, John Boehner, John McCain, time of betrayal. They are worthless POS.”
Amen! At 55, this represents a minimal cut to MY retirement pay...but then, I was 50 when I retired. However, it still represents a betrayal, and worse. The retirement pay of current retirees was funded in advance. It is not in any risk of going in the red. This reduction is meant to allow Congress to take money out of the trust fund and spend it on ‘worthy causes’ like tax refunds to illegals who did not pay taxes in the first place.
I was 49 on my last combat tour in Afghanistan. I spent most of the 1990s spending 6 months a year in Saudi Arabia or Turkey, monitoring the no-fly zones. The first time I was present for my oldest daughter’s birthday, she was 12. 12! Do you think Paul Ryan gives a rat’s rear? Nope - he’s too busy protecting the rears of rats!
It represents $600 million a year that can be moved from military retirements to pay for Obama’s social spending, and Obamaphones, and support to illegals who are not deported because Obama wants them to stay in the US. And it passed the GOP House under the leadership of the GOP’s last VP candidate!
Paul Ryan owns this. Let him eat it!
Absolutely! OUTSTANDING! POINT!
The only way NOT to pay the COLA is to RAID the fund.
Now that the scam has been exposed, we all know that it will be fixed. But fixing it reveals that these phony future spending cuts are just a mirage. Future Congresses will not honor the Ryan-Murray spending cuts and you can bet that the sequester suspension will go beyond two years. Both parties favor Big Government and big spending.
Changing the way the COLA is calculated has been proposed as a way for Social Security to save money.
I’m 62 this year, MR Rogers, so this will not affect “my” COLA. That has absolutely nothing to do with my buddies still on the battlefield, today and on into the future. We’re a brotherhood of arms and we don’t leave one another behind. We don’t let the enemy divide us.
That pension is a sacred trust, and Ryan is in full betrayal mode. Benedict Ryan isn’t worthy of the name American.
I despise these crony politicians. Term limits is too good for them. I want a noose.
Absolutely, and thank you for sharing that story. We need to hear it, although it makes me even sadder than I was before. What has happened to our nation? We are paying for morally corrupt ObamaCare ads! but we cannot support our men and women in uniform! or those who have already served?
He voted for the bill. Now that is what I call chutzpah.
Last night, I watched a DVD documentary about America during the Second World War. It depressed me realize how far we have fallen.
The current SECDEF blew a gasket when he found out some state National Guard units were not providing millions of dollars in "same sex couple's" benefits, yet supposedly Hagel led the back door lobbying to screw his own people in uniform out of their pension cost of living raises.....all to save $6 billion over ten years.
The “Compromise” Bill by Ryan and Murray had nothing to do with putting money back into the Defense Budget. They announced that the “Compromise” was that they would use this money they are taking from retired Veterans for HEADSTART AND EDUCATION, not the Defense Budget. Think about it. Why would EVERY Democrat Senator vote for it if all it was supposed to do was transfer funds around the Defense Department? They only vote in lockstep when it’s money for their base. This man is a goddamn liar just like Paul Ryan. He needs to come clean about this.
“Inadvertently changed”? Sorry, I don’t buy that. They - Ryan and Murray - were caught sticking it to the military. With Murray, it is perfectly understandable since she will do it anytime she has the chance? But Ryan, our “smartest” budget guy in the House???? They should both be exposed for who they are.
Yes.....this is just the first volley in the fight. They stirred up a hornet’s nest and are just beginning to realize that fact. As you said, ALL military members must have their pensions fully restored. They already have been paid for. This was a betrayal of incredible proportions.
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