US Congress revisits military pension cuts amid outcry from veterans' groups

The Guardian and AP ^ | 28 Jan 14 | Staff

[SkyPilot]

Congress is revisiting its decision to cut annual cost-of-living adjustments (Cola) to pensions for most working-age military retirees after talk of the cuts drew outrage from veterans' groups and others.

The budget agreement approved this month reduced those adjustments by 1% annually once a service member retires until that retiree reaches 62.

Lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee, back from a week-long break in their home states, said they were interested in repealing the Cola change scheduled to take effect on 1 December 2015. But Pentagon officials asked them to hold off on making any more changes until a commission completes an extensive review of compensation and retirement benefits. That report is due in February 2015.

Republican senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi said there was broad agreement to act more quickly.

"This is a wrong that should be fixed," Wicker said. "It doesn't make any sense if we're all in agreement on this to wait, unless you want to hold out the possibility that we'll stick with it."

Christine Fox, the acting deputy secretary of defense, said compensation rates were unsustainable and changes needed to be made to ensure military readiness, but the department was never consulted about the Cola cut. She said the Pentagon preferred a more comprehensive review of the retirement system that would exempt current service members and retirees from the changes made. She also said the defense department did not support the Cola cut unless it included such a grandfather clause.

The pension program for military retirees is generally much more generous than those found in the private sector. Most people work at least 40 years for about 20 years of retirement benefits. Military retirees generally work about 20 years for about 40 years of retirement benefits.

[SkyPilot]

The Cola change is scheduled to take effect at the end of 2015, which Fox said gives a military and Retirement Modernization Commission time to come up with its recommendations. "Because of the complexity of retirement issues," Fox said, "we would respectfully ask that the Congress not make any more changes until the commission completes its work."

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What a bunch of BS. She said the DoD never was consulted on the COLA cuts. Both Rep Paul Ryan and Sen Patty Murray said (on camera) that Secretary Chuck Hagel himself offered up the necks of military members to the Bipartisan Budget Conference - all to save a lousy $500M per your out of a $572 Billion DoD budget.

Next, she is desperately begging Congress to not overturn the cuts to military pensions, citing the "complexity" of the issue. But it was not "complex" enough of an issue for Congress to ramrod through the cuts in less than 72 hours before Christmas, compounded by the fact that both DoD and Congress completely ignored the standing of this vaunted commission that now she wants to embrace.

The real reason DoD does not want the cuts repealed is that they want to parlay the pension theft into an even greater betrayal - robbing military members, their families, and retirees of the TRICARE health system.

[SkyPilot]

Ping.

[DoughtyOne]

Congress is OTL...

O ut
T o
L unch

And while the mice are away, the cat will play.

Obama is steamrolling the Congress.

It looks like we’re headed into a period where one person is going to rule with a wave of the pen, damn anyone who objects, sick the IRS, the NSA, or the Justice Department on them.

[2banana]

Most people work at least 40 years for about 20 years of retirement benefits. Military retirees generally work about 20 years for about 40 years of retirement benefits.

You TRY working 20 years as a paratrooper or infantryman or ranger. It is not a day of sitting in a cubical drinking frapichinos...

[MichaelCorleone]

Even if the cuts are restored, the fact it was done in the first place, not to mention the way it was done, shows what scum we have in the Congress. And that must never be forgotten.

[xzins]

The pension program for military retirees is generally much more generous than those found in the private sector. Most people work at least 40 years for about 20 years of retirement benefits. Military retirees generally work about 20 years for about 40 years of retirement benefits.

What a one-sided representation of fact. After 20 years, the typical retiree NCO is about an E-7 pulling down 22,000 a year in retirement pay. There is no mention of retention points, that an E-6 would be almost forced to retire, and an E-7 would be next on the forced list.

He/She is about 42 years old and even when entering a good job market they are considered older and untrained in civilian areas. Explosives, weapons, etc. are not exactly transferrable skills.

Although many have developed excellent leadership skills, in a bad job market -- as we now have -- they are not going to be given the opportunity to demonstrate that.

There is a one party system that is attacking veterans, and they are unrelenting. Republicans and democrats alike (Republocrats led by Paul Ryan) have disdain for our veterans, even though they mouth opposite words.

When their actions are watched they DO NOT stand up for vets.

[USCG SimTech]

I’ve written and have spoken this many times. I will take a 1% cut in my military retirement and have zero COLAS each year for the next 5 years IF, IF, IF:

Every agency budget also gets zero COLA and a 1% cut.

and

Every federal employee and contract gets zero COLA and a 1% cut.

and

No new spending proposals (ideas) period.

[dragnet2]

US Congress revisits military pension cuts

Yet the Fedgov refuses to protect and secure our borders while government at all levels aid and abet tens of millions of illegal aliens...

Study: 70% of Texas’ illegal immigrant families receive welfare

http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2011/04/study-70-of-texas-illegal-immigrant-families-receive-welfare/

[xzins]

The Cola change is scheduled to take effect at the end of 2015, which Fox said gives a military and Retirement Modernization Commission time to come up with its recommendations. "Because of the complexity of retirement issues," Fox said, "we would respectfully ask that the Congress not make any more changes until the commission completes its work."

The totally illogical comment by Fox is nothing short of intentional misrepresentation. Obviously, they were working on their "new retirement plans" before these cuts agreed to by traitor Paul Ryan and communist Patty Murray.

They didn't jump up and protest then.

Also, retirement pay at THE CURRENT LEVEL was what they were working on. How can it be disruptive of their process to continue working on retirement pay at THE CURRENT LEVEL.

This mental gymnastics masquerading as logic is nothing more than an attempt to deceive through devious wording.

[dragnet2]

They have guts to even consider cutting vets?

Confirmed: Majority of Illegal Immigrants Receive Government Welfare

Bureau data reveals that most U.S. families headed by illegal immigrants use taxpayer-funded welfare programs on behalf of their American-born anchor babies.Even before the recession, immigrant households with children used welfare programs at consistently higher rates than natives, according to the extensive census data collected and analyzed by a nonpartisanWashington D.C. group dedicated to researching legal and illegal immigration in the U.S.

The results, published this month in a lengthy report, are hardly surprising.Basically, the majority of households across the country benefitting from publicly-funded welfare programs are headed by immigrants, both legal and illegal. States where immigrant households with children have the highest welfare use rates are Arizona (62%), Texas, California and New York with 61% each and Pennsylvania(59%).The study focused on eight major welfare programs that cost the government $517 billion the year they were examined.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/03/confirmed-majority-of-illegal-immigrants-receive-government-welfare/

[HiJinx]

Looks like the retirement pay is getting a wee bit better, Sir.
I retired as an E-7 in ‘96 at age 41. My gross retirement pay is right at $20.5K per year.

[chiefqc]

Backstabbing ryan owns this with his intervent mistake and his lack or bal*s to own up to it when he could have corrected the mistake - oh wait he lied never mind.

[Drill Thrawl]

Most people work at least 40 years for about 20 years of retirement benefits. Military retirees generally work about 20 years for about 40 years of retirement benefits.

You TRY working 20 years as a paratrooper or infantryman or ranger. It is not a day of sitting in a cubical drinking frapichinos...

AND these people that work for 40 years get paid a hell of a lot more than military people.

And let's not forget that while the 40 year employee is comfy in his cube, our service men and women are repeatedly asked to go die in some mooslime $h1t-hole.

PAY THESE PEOPLE WHAT WE PROMISED!

[SkyPilot]

Ayotte tweaks proposal to repeal military pension cuts (Democrats still say no)

Ayotte’s bill would save $20 billion over 10 years, she said, more than enough to offset the $6 billion needed to reverse the reduction in the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for working-age military retirees that was part of last month’s budget deal. “They said their big beef last time was what about the children who are American children, and you’re hurting them, and I said, ‘OK, I’ll listen to you,’ and I’ve revamped my proposal,” Ayotte said Tuesday. “Any American child, even if they are born of someone who is here illegally, they can still get this tax credit, so I have taken their concerns head-on with this.” But Democrats did not seem to be going along with Ayotte’s proposed change, saying that other offsets were better suited to fix the military COLA cuts. “I think there are better pay-fors than that,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “I don’t think you need to pay for this fix by harming programs that affect children.”

Why don't we just issue "free" ATM cards worth $1,000,000 cash to every illegal invader and be done with it.

[xzins]

Left unsaid when they say “work 20 years and get retirement pay for 40” is that if it’s such a great deal, there where are the long lines begging to sign up?

If it’s such a great deal, then why do they have to run huge multi-billion dollar recruiting commands and recruiting campaigns, beg, borrow, steal, lie and cheat just to get people to join up?

If it was such a great deal then they should be beating people away from the recruiting offices. I read about a week ago where about 5000 people applied for 25 jobs that came open with some manufacturing firm.

Where are the 5000:25 ratios for Army openings?

[xzins]

Looks like the retirement pay is getting a wee bit better, Sir. I retired as an E-7 in ‘96 at age 41. My gross retirement pay is right at $20.5K per year.

Thank you for your service, HiJinx.

It's a bit higher only because of COLAs elevating active duty pay.

We both know that the COLA 1% that Paul Ryan is stealing would be part of the amount that veterans us to pay for survivor benefits (SBP) that is subtracted from their pay, so their spouses, who actually provided critical service during deployments, will not be destitute but will have some portion of that retirement pay in their old age. We know that a soldier worried about the home front is in danger of dying on the war front. That's why NCO wives (most often) were critical in counseling and family support during deployments. There is a thin line between the front line and the home front.

[JoeFromSidney]

Military retirees generally work about 20 years for about 40 years of retirement benefits.

In my case it was 25 years, but it's important to note that I was one of the survivors. A lot of my buddies names are on The Wall. They're not collecting anything.

[cookcounty]

" But Pentagon officials asked them to hold off on making any more changes until a commission completes an extensive review of compensation and retirement benefits. That report is due in February 2015. "

Sounds like the bureaucrats are spending even more time at the water cooler than we thought.

[SkyPilot]

This unholy “commission” (that has so little clout it was completely ignored by Ryan/Murray) was supposed to issue recommendations in May.....three months from now. Congress and DoD conspired to delay any public release of findings until Feb 15......so as to avoid any scrutiny before the elections this autumn.

[SkyPilot]

God bless you.