Posted on 05/17/2010 5:04:44 AM PDT by Poundstone
Lawmakers disregarded Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates's calls for fiscal restraint Wednesday, approving a military pay raise higher than President Obama and the Pentagon requested.
The House Armed Services personnel subcommittee approved a 1.9 percent pay bump for uniformed military personnel, half of a percentage point higher than suggested in Obama's fiscal 2011 budget. The markup also increased hostile-fire pay and family separation allowances.
"This raise will further reduce the gap between military and private-sector pay raises," said subcommittee chairman Susan A. Davis (D-Calif.).
But the raise is in direct disagreement with the wishes of Gates, who plans to push for at least $15 billion in cuts from the Pentagon's budget, mostly from contracts and administrative redundancies.
Speaking Saturday in Kansas, the secretary raised particular concern with military personnel costs, saying that health-care expenses totaling about $50 billion "are eating the Defense Department alive." The sum roughly equals the State Department's entire foreign affairs and assistance budget, Gates said.
Davis said she's open to working with Gates on his cost concerns but kept the proposed pay raise intact.
The military pay bump means civilian federal workers could see a similar raise next year.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
It is a pretty big raise. I recommend we fund it however, and we do so responsibly; eliminate the Legal Services Administration, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, divert the funds to this purpose and call it a wash. Now, as for the Departments of Energy and Education...
If congress is limited to a 1.9% pay raise, Pelosi and her staff might have to stop ordering the good scotch for the office stash
Don’t forget Transportation, Agriculture, the EPA, and HUD.
House panel supports smallest pay raise in years for military
A little Googleign tells the whole truth. I could of gone back further, and I bet the story would of been the same.
2004 4.1
2005 3.5
2006 3.1
2007 2.2
2008 3.5
Yet in 2008 Bush asked for half a percent less than what was being asked taking it from 3.9% to 3.5% and he gets ripped for slashing military pay. Hmmmmmm whats is bigger 3.5 or 1.9?
Not to disparage our military, but most private-sector employees I know aren't getting pay raises. And many have had their salaries cut.
Can anyone on FR tell me if this bill corrected the TriCare dependent eligibility gap between age 22 and 26 in comparison to the coming ObamaCare law?
Info for a family friend, thanks
1.9% pay raise for the Military is a CHEESY pay raise they risk their lives for our freedom.
Gates sits in a cushy office, makes 6 figures and isn’t getting shot at daily. CUT HIS PAY. If there is an issue with command structure that is a paper work issue, not a pay raise issue. That Gates can fix with a stroke of the pen.
BINGO!
Wife of retired Senior Chief.
We received NO COLA raise this year and will not for 3-4 years, ditto for SS COLA’s.
I can't think of any of those private-sector employees being asked to leave their families for six to nine months at a time, every year of their enlistment, and many of them going to a hostile war zone.
Granted, in tough economic times, looking for a pay raise from the boss when he is just trying to keep his doors open in not likely. But a 1.9% increase for the military, that falls way behind the Cost of Living is a slap in the face.
And then see how clever they are writing headlines - singing praises to the One
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