Congress Agrees to Troop Pay, BAH Cuts in Budget Compromise

[docstew]

Service members next year will be paying more for prescriptions bought off base, getting less of a housing subsidy and a picking up a smaller pay raise under an agreement reached between Senate and House lawmakers.
 
The deal between the Senate and House armed services committees on the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act is bound to draw criticism from military associations and veterans' service groups, which lobby Congress on behalf of service members' pay and benefits.
 
The bill that will go before the full Senate and House includes higher co-pays for prescriptions filled at off-base pharmacies, a curb on basic allowances for housing – BAH – by 1 percent next year, and rolling back the statutory 1.8 percent troop pay raise to 1 percent, first reported by Military Times.
 
Though the Pentagon got what it wanted in terms of the smaller pay raise, the cuts it wanted to BAH spending and the increases it wanted for prescription drug co-pays were more than what lawmakers agreed to. The Defense Department originally asked for a 5 percent reduction to BAH over three years and a $30 increase in drug fees over a decade.

Couple days old, but still news. I wonder if those Congressholes would be willing to "roll back their statutory pay raise". I'm willing to bet not.
     And for the Pentagon, I wonder if what they wanted included a cut to Gen Officer pay, or the total number of GOs. I bet not. Somewhere along the line, those people forgot "The Mission, The Men, Then Myself". For most of them it's "Myself, My Retirement and Consulting Career, Then What They Guy Above Me Thinks".
     And the brass wonder why websites like US Army WTF Moments have 400k followers making fun of senior leadership, why Soldiers get stuck in shitty housing off post instead of living on post (hint: It's because they don't want to give all of their BAH to a civilian company that "manages" what the Army already owns. They'd rather save some of their BAH to buy luxuries like food, or they want to use the whole amount toward building equity in a home of their own.) and you have to open up housing areas to DOD Civilians and retirees just to fill the copious empties.

More at the link http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/12/02/congress-agrees-to-troop-pay-bah-cuts-in-budget-compromise.html#.VH5IL9bEyYE.facebook

[JohnnyReb]

Couple days old, but still news. I wonder if those Congressholes would be willing to "roll back their statutory pay raise". I'm willing to bet not.
     And for the Pentagon, I wonder if what they wanted included a cut to Gen Officer pay, or the total number of GOs. I bet not. Somewhere along the line, those people forgot "The Mission, The Men, Then Myself". For most of them it's "Myself, My Retirement and Consulting Career, Then What They Guy Above Me Thinks".
     And the brass wonder why websites like US Army WTF Moments have 400k followers making fun of senior leadership, why Soldiers get stuck in shitty housing off post instead of living on post (hint: It's because they don't want to give all of their BAH to a civilian company that "manages" what the Army already owns. They'd rather save some of their BAH to buy luxuries like food, or they want to use the whole amount toward building equity in a home of their own.) and you have to open up housing areas to DOD Civilians and retirees just to fill the copious empties.

More at the link http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/12/02/congress-agrees-to-troop-pay-bah-cuts-in-budget-compromise.html#.VH5IL9bEyYE.facebook

I think I remember correctly here. About 20 years or so ago, congress passed a law that they would get raises without having to vote for them. The only way they don't get an annual raise is to vote not to take it.

[obumazombie]

I would like to see them take their cowardice of cutting the military, and apply the same intensity to cutting entitlements.

[docstew]

I think I remember correctly here. About 20 years or so ago, congress passed a law that they would get raises without having to vote for them. The only way they don't get an annual raise is to vote not to take it.

You are correct. And their pay raise is much more than the 1.8% that they rolled ours back from, much less the 1% that they ended on.

[thundley4]

Once again the military faces cuts, and illegal immigrants and welfare leeches reap the rewards.

[txradioguy]

Once again the military faces cuts, and illegal immigrants and welfare leeches reap the rewards.

It's almost like they want us on the welfare rolls as well.

[BlueStateSaint]

It's almost like they want us on the welfare rolls as well.

It's all about votes, Dragoon.

[obumazombie]

It's all about votes, tx.

Votes bought and paid for, along with the souls that accompany them.

[txradioguy]

It's all about votes, Dragoon.

And the sad part is there are too many people in uniform willing to go along with it...they tend to vote against their own self interest for some odd reason.