Obama opposes 1.9 percent pay raise for military members

[The Straight Story]

Obama opposes 1.9 percent pay raise for military members
By Elizabeth Newell [e-mail] May 27, 2010

President Obama on Thursday formally came out against the 1.9 percent military pay raise included in the fiscal 2011 Defense authorization bill.

In a statement of administration policy, the president stood by his February request for a 1.4 percent boost.

"The administration values the service members of the U.S. Armed Forces and believes that the president's proposed 1.4 percent pay increase is appropriate in light of other benefits and other forms of compensation, is targeted to avoid hindering the department's ability to focus on recruiting or retaining for key skills, and will ensure the availability of financial resources needed to sustain our combat power at a time of war," the White House stated.


When the authorization bill passed the House Armed Services Committee, Chairman Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., said the raise reflected the panel's efforts to reduce the pay raise gap between the uniformed services and the private sector and would improve quality of life for service members and their families.

While the administration supports passage of the legislation, it has concerns about several other personnel provisions as well. The White House expressed strong objection to language that would allow the president to create a Unified Medical Command. Administration officials said they believed delegating medical responsibilities to such a command would "render hollow the role of the assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs to serve as the principal departmental official for health and medical matters."

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=45366&oref=todaysnews

[DJ13]

1. Kind of hard to justify when the same government freezes SS payouts

I know "doing right" towards those in the military is politically popular, but our elderly and disabled live in the same economy as those military people, and things arent easy for them either.

[JVS]

2. Just as long as they both can keep making sacrifices for Wall Street.

[ncteechur]

3. Did the story ever explain the "other benefits and forms of compensation"?

probably not.