Does the White House think no one in this nation reads or do they think no one cares? This is so preposterous it is breathtaking. The Democrats are trying to bring military pay levels more into line with civilian levels and that is why they are adding .05% to the average civilian pay increase of last year and additional .05% each year thereafter until 2012. Even then military pay will be still lag. We won't even mention the insulting death benefits that are in place now.
From Daily Kos
The Democratic House has included to provisions in its version of the defense authorization bill for 2008 that would give troops a 3.5 percent pay raise as well as increasing the level of benefits for survivors of slain soldiers and civilians employees. The Bush administration's reaction?
Bush budget officials said the administration "strongly opposes" both the 3.5 percent raise for 2008 and the follow-on increases, calling extra pay increases "unnecessary."
VoteVets' Jon Solz responds:
In the veto threat against the National Defense Authorization Act, the White House says they're opposed to two things: Increased survivor benefits of $40 a month to spouses of those who lost someone in military service, and a pay increase to all personnel, across the board, just half a percent higher than what the President endorsed.
Excuse me?
The President just vetoed legislation so he would be able to send more troops into the middle of the Iraqi religious civil war - without end, mind you - but is against increasing benefits to the spouses of those lost, or a pay increase to those who are serving? If there's a more fitting definition of 'outrage,' I'd love to see it.
Indeed.
Update: You can see the whole of the administration's objections to the DoD authorization at Speaker Pelosi's blog, The Gavel. They include opposition to price controls for prescription drugs under the military’s health care plan for military personnel and their dependents and contract accountability provisions.
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