Under debt deal, military pay, veterans programs in play for cuts

Government Executive ^ | 3 Aug 2011 | Bob Brewin

[SkyPilot]

Military pay raises, funding for veterans health care and the Post-9/11 GI Bill could be sacrificed to new fiscal realities as the result of the deal signed by President Obama on Tuesday to raise the federal debt ceiling, according to the Military Officers Association and veterans groups. The law requires the federal budget be cut $2.1 trillion over 10 years.

The White House said it plans to cut $350 billion from the Defense Department budget (excluding war funding) over the next decade. Retired Air Force Col. Michael Hayden, the association's deputy director for government relations, said this means "everything is on the table," including military pay.

While Congress historically has been reluctant to freeze military pay, the 2011 Budget Control Act signed by Obama on Tuesday makes it clear upfront that military pay is no longer off-limits in budget discussions. If the administration and Congress fail to make the required reductions then across-the-board cuts in discretionary funding will be triggered through a procedure known as sequestration. The law gives the president "authority to exempt any [military] personnel account from sequestration" but only if "savings are achieved through across-the-board reductions in the remainder of the Department of Defense budget," states a House Rules Committee analysis of the bill.

Hayden said, "this leaves pay raises up for grabs" as Defense crafts a new budget to meet cuts planned by the White House. He also expressed concern that cost-of-living increases for military retirees could end up sacrificed in the Pentagon budget-cutting process, although by law they are protected from sequestration.

Retired Air Force Col. Philip Odom, another deputy director for government relations at the Military Officers Association, said troops could face a pay freeze coming on the heels of a small 1.6 percent pay raise in the 2012 budget, the "second lowest increase since 1962."

Keith Weller, a spokesman for the Reserve Officers Association, expressed concern that the "super committee" Congress must establish to determine the budget cuts will use the new strict budget caps to increase fees for the TRICARE health insurance program for active-duty and retired military personnel.

"We don't want them to view TRICARE as a cash cow," Weller said. In January, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called for a "modest" increase in TRICARE premiums, which have been frozen at $460 a year for the past 15 years, compared to $5,000 a year other federal workers pay for health insurance.

Gates said Defense heath care costs have spiraled to $50 billion a year from $19 billion a year over the past decade, with the 10 million TRICARE beneficiaries accounting for much of that increase.

The budget control law lumps the discretionary budgets for the Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs departments, along with the National Nuclear Security Administration, the intelligence community management account and portions of the State Department budget, in a new "security" category capped at $684 billion in fiscal 2012. This marks a 6 percent, or $44 billion, cut for those entities, according to an analysis by the Heritage Foundation.

If these departments and agencies do not adhere to the budget caps then they would lose funds through the sequestration process spread evenly across their budgets, but with no clear delineation in how and where cuts would be made, the analysis concluded.

Carl Blake, legislative director of Paralyzed Veterans of America, said he has real concerns about the effect the law will have on veterans' health care.

Veterans Affairs Department pension and disability programs are fenced off from cuts or sequestration, Blake said, but not the massive 247,000 employee Veterans Health Administration, which is expected to care for 6.2 million patients in 2012. Blake said VHA operates under discretionary funding, which makes it a target for cuts.

Government Executive learned that John Carson, director of the White House office of public engagement, met with veterans groups, including the America Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Wounded Warrior Project, to assure them that veterans compensation programs will be safe from sequestration.

But Joseph Chenelly, assistant national communications director for the Disabled American Veterans, said Carson did not address whether VHA or the Post-9/11GI Bill would be safe from cuts. Joseph Violante, legislative director for the group, said that despite the White House statements, "nothing reassures me that veterans programs are safe from cuts."

Ed Meagher, vice president for health care strategy at Computer Sciences Corp. and a former VA deputy chief information officer, said he doubted VA's requested $3 billion for information technology spending in 2012 will take much of a hit as the department counts on IT to save money through automation of manual processes, including the disability claims system. "At most, the IT budget might get nicked for $100 million," Meagher said.

He agreed that VHA funding faces cuts under the budget control act, and predicted those would come from new mental health projects, a number of which have been adopted to care for Afghanistan and Iraq veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. New projects, Meagher said, are easier to cut than established ones.

VA requested $6.1 billion for mental health care in its 2012 budget and $6.4 billion in its 2013 budget, both which account just under 15 percent of the overall health care budget of $46 billion in each of those years. Nextgov reported in March that more than half the Afghanistan and Iraq veterans treated by VA last year received care for mental health problems, roughly four times the rate of the general population.

Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told a hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee that the nation faces a $1 trillion long-term bill to care for veterans of those wars and warned against slashing program funding "in a shortsighted rush."

VA requested $11.1 billion for the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2012, up $2.1 billion from 2011, with more than 260,000 veterans enrolled in the college year that just ended.

Michael Dakduk, executive director of the Student Veterans of America, said he is worried that budget hawks will flail the program.

Dakduk, a Marine veteran who served tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq, said that Congress supports projects like the GI Bill when the memories of war are fresh, but when those fade, attention shifts from caring for veterans to balancing the budget.

Hayden predicted an intense round of lobbying as various groups work to protect their piece of a smaller pie. But, he said, the stark reality is "everyone will have to suffer a little bit."

[SkyPilot]

It's time veterans and active duty military face the ugly, hard, cold truth:

You are not valued, and this is no longer a "grateful nation" under current political leadership.

This isn't hyperbole - it is reality.

Illegal aliens collecing SSI are worth more to Washington than a veteran who got his foot blown off in Iraq.

Minorities collection AFDC and Section 8 housing are sacrosanct and immune to budget cuts, while active duty military pay is going to be frozen just as it was with Federal civilians. Veteran's TRICARE fees will soar, while Medicare will be protected from the looming November "Super Congress" star chamber (meeting behind closed doors). Military retirees will not receive a Cost of Living adjustment for the third straight year, but ACORN can change its name to "Community Organizations International" and still receive millions in Federal dollars. People can collect 99 weeks of unemployment checks, and they are worth much more politically than a DoD civilian, military veteran, or member of the National Guard.

Entitlements were not touched one hair in this "debt deal" - and entitlements are breaking the back of this nation.

Veterans and the military are not as big a voting block, Obama hates them, and the Democrats don't care what happens to them as long as minorities and seniors still get their checks and pull the big "D" lever (whether you are dead or alive).

Even Republicans will be piling on veterans and the military. The DoD is going to be raped when this "Super Congress" cannot hammer out other cuts.

It is going to happen.

Shame on this country. Those who actually earned any benefits are thrown on the trash heap. Those who strolled along and collected them for breathing are walking away unscathed.

I never thought I would see that day.

[MissEdie]

The liberals are finally getting what they want. It disgusts me to no end. For the first time in my life, I am ashamed of my country.

[RC2]

You may never “see that day”. Not if the American people have anything to say about it. Thanks for your service and thanks to all who have served.........never expecting something like this to happen and never asking for anything in return. My heart goes out to them.

[hattend]

Seeing as how my military pension hasn’t had a raise since Obama has been in office, I didn’t expect much else. When the inflation rate was supposedly 1 or 2% a year it didn’t hurt.

Can’t wait until we hit Jimmy Carter style inflation.

[SkyPilot]

Seeing as how my military pension hasn’t had a raise since Obama has been in office, I didn’t expect much else. When the inflation rate was supposedly 1 or 2% a year it didn’t hurt.

Food prices, medical expenses, and energy costs "don't count" towards the Government computation, so there "is no inflation"....donchaknow.

[flyingtabby]

Ping

[submarinerswife]

For the first time in my life, I am ashamed of my country.

Such an sickening overused phrase when someone doesn't like what the POLITICIANS are doing.

Like the rest of the country has a part in the decision making. I know I did my part in trying to keep this SOB out of the WH.

[hattend]

Hence the word “supposedly” hehehehe

[StonyBurk]

Sky Pilot- excellent reply ,Sir. Thank You for your service. I just read Alexander on the Next american Revolution Patriot Post Aug.4,2011 One of my favorite websites. May give some comfort. I think it seems those most responsible for the
redistribution of funds/ the taxes/ and the borrowing/Debt have secured an annual pay hike for themselves that is always several percentage points higher than any scraps they can manage to throw to the Veteran—or the disabled Vet. Yet it is “everybody else” they insist must sacrifice,at such times.It seems the “progressives’ were factually shocked that the Republicans actually stood their ground for a change at least for the show. And are now setting up the TEA Party as target for their useful idiots.
Anything but consideration of the resolution called for.

[lurk]

I love the military. Dad, sister, brothers, brother in law, friends are all vets.

But I do have a question about whether military retirement and life long disability benefits are constitutional. While they are compassionate and desirable, are they truly constitutional?

If we’re conservatives, we have to be consistent. Does the Constitution allow for such benefits?

[BlatherNaut]

“Shame on this country. Those who actually earned any benefits are thrown on the trash heap. Those who strolled along and collected them for breathing are walking away unscathed.”

You said it. Bait and switch.

Risking life and limb (not to mention the opportunity costs of putting the “needs of the navy” first, living like a gypsy and taking the financial hits in real estate, spouse’s employment, etc. that ensue from the military lifestyle, having to pull the kids out of school every other year to move on to the next duty station, long family separations...).

People give up a lot more than meets the eye to serve their country. And now pay and benefits are counted as collateral for the “tranche” in the debt ceiling bill.

Full faith and credit? Nothing but hot air.

[SkyPilot]

A nice post - and thank you back.

I do know the Tea Party Republicans are aware of the Entitlement mess, and some of them really tried to attack the beast.

They failed. The Democrats won.

Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are exempt from ANY cutbacks - and military and veterans programs are thrown under the bus.

It's just the way it is. There is no sense in lying to ourselves about it. There is no outrage, and there will be one.

There are no more Budweiser commercials showing an adoring crowd in the airport cheering and breaking into spontaneous applause at returning veterans.

In the war of "My Entitlement Check" vs. veterans, the veterans lost.

[Churchillspirit]

Illegal aliens collecting SSI are worth more to Washington than a veteran who got his foot shot off in Iraq.

That is a true and disgusting fact.

[BlatherNaut]

“If we’re conservatives, we have to be consistent. Does the Constitution allow for such benefits?”

Let’s first check and see if the Constition allows for Obama’s Auntie Zeituni (former illegal alien before the “fix”) to be living large on the American taxpayers’ dime.

[Mountain Troll]

Democracy is the best method yet developed to ensure that people get the government they deserve.

Obama is a JUDGEMENT.

[count-your-change]

. But, he said, the stark reality is “everyone will have to suffer a little bit.”

“Everyone”??? IMF? UN? Pay and benefits for federal judges? for congress? foreign aid?

[Mich Patriot]

This is an outrage. The scumbag bottom-feeders who don't produce get to keep all their entitlements (even enhanced with Obozocare coming), while honorable, responsible Americans continue to get the shaft.

FUBO!

[vette6387]

I love and respect our military personnel as much as anyone, but it strikes me that what is being said here is that military pensions and benefits should be sacrosanct and not be subject to any alterations while this country deals with a massive over spending problem. We owe our combat veterans complete medical care and a pension, particularly if they have sustained injuries as a consequence of military action. At the same time, we also have tens of thousands of “retired” military personnel who put in their “20” and retired without firing a shot. A military career was their choice. they accepted what goes with following that career path with all the “hits.” To my mind, they are just another classification of “government employee,” and need to be brought into the solution process along with the rest of those in government service. Now, let the rock throwing begin!

[Protoss]

Don’t forget, the military is a team. Just because someone may not have ever fired a shot in anger doesn’t diminish their value. What about the Soldier who supplies the beans and bullets? What about the truck drivers who drive along dangerous routes delivering necessary equipment? What about the mechanics who work on tanks, artillery, and airplanes? What about the armorers who repair and complete maintenance on airplanes, or the staff officers who devise plans to be executed?

[Mr Rogers]

“A military career was their choice. they accepted what goes with following that career path with all the “hits.””

Yes, and retirement factored into that decision. In my case, I would have left after 8-10 years instead of after 25. Why? So I could have time to build a new career in a different field - not a lot of employment in the civilian world for knowing how to blow people up.

Still, I’ll make this deal: I’ll cheerfully accept a 10% cut in my retirement pay IF everyone else getting a check from the government does likewise. Even 20%.

Oh...and all that comes after cutting things like NPR and welfare for illegals.

I think the military budget should be cut, but I don’t like the idea of cutting military ‘entitlements’ so that no one else takes a cut. I’ll take a hit without blinking an eye, but I don’t think the hit should be restricted to the US military.