Troops' Next Paycheck Disappears if U.S. Defaults

Military.Com ^ | Oct 15, 2013 | Richard Sisk

[BulletBobCo]

The troops will get paid on Tuesday, but the check after that could come in the form of an IOU if the nation defaults on its debt obligations, Treasury Department officials said.

Default on top of the government shutdown would cancel out the hastily-crafted legislation that brought back furloughed Defense Department civilian employees and allowed for the payment of back pay, death benefits, incentive pays, re-enlistment bonuses, veterans disability benefits and survivor benefits.

All would be eliminated if Congress and the White House fail to reach agreement on raising the debt ceiling to avoid default on Oct. 17, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said last week.

"The United States should not be put in a position of making such perilous choices for our economy and our citizens," Lew said in testimony to the Senate Finance Committee.

A military coalition of 33 veterans' service organizations representing 5.5 million members planned to hold a rally Tuesday at the National World War II Memorial to protest the looming threat of payless paydays for the troops and cutoffs of disability and survivor benefits.

"It's all because of failed elected leadership in Washington who would rather tell you who's to blame than fix the problem," William A. Thien, national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said in a statement.

Working against the Oct. 17 deadline, Senate Republicans and Democrats were reportedly close to a deal on lifting the debt ceiling and ending the government shutdown. However, there was no guarantee the compromise would be accepted by the House.

Defense budget analysts said that the immediate problems of default and the shutdown masked the long-term challenges of getting a budget for the military passed by Congress that will include planning for the spending cuts imposed by the sequestration process.

[McGruff]

[PeterPrinciple]

I do not disagree with you. But there is a tension between waiting and doing something. Each of us will have to work it out. We are told to be responsible in little things, the battle is not ours.

When the prophet comes by like Jeremiah and says, “you are going to be captured and carried away.” what do you do? I am serious in that question. What did the common folk do? What would I do?

My major point was that it is not the Constitution that will save us. Without it’s foundation, it is just another man made agreement. It is the foundation that was important, and that is what is not in good shape. Can we change that?