During the most recent government shutdown the American Legion accused the White House and members of Congress of using veterans to sway public opinion.
Peter Gaytan, executive director of the American Legion, told reporters:
Don’t use the men and women who sacrificed for the security of this nation as a pawn, as a tool, to persuade the American public one way or the other. Stop using the veterans, because veterans are suffering because of the bickering in Congress.
Sadly for the men and women in the armed services, it would seem that even when partisan bickering isn’t involved vets suffer all the same.
The recent bipartisan budget agreement that cuts military retirement by 1 percent off inflation, equaling $124, 000 per vet over a 20 year period, was just one way congress has negatively affected troops. The most recent Defense reauthorization act, which passed the Senate 84-15, makes no mention of military pay increases. Under a federal pay formula which is part of permanent law, service members would have been due a 1.8 percent pay increase.
In June the House used that formula as part of its version of the bill. But the Senate Armed Services Committee’s compromise was to remain silent on the issue thus capping the raise of our brave men and women at 1 percent– thanks to an executive order issued in August. This is the smallest annual pay increase in 40 years.
In a grand show of bipartisan betrayal many of those same elected officials that voted to carve out $6 billion from the backs of men and women serving our country, and were silent when it came to raising their pay have also co-sponsored a bill that could lead the US to war with Iran. Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), along with 26 co-sponsors from both sides of the isle, have introduced the ?Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act.?
This action goes against the wishes of the Obama administration and Senate Committee Chairs. According to Foreign Policy,
?The legislation would broaden the scope of the sanctions already imposed against Iran, expanding the restrictions on Iran’s energy sector to include all aspects of its petroleum trade and putting in place measures targeting Iran’s shipping and mining sectors.?
The bill also includes a provision that should Israel take “military action in legitimate self-defense against Iran’s nuclear weapons program,? the U.S. “should stand with Israel and provide, in accordance with the law of the United States and the constitutional responsibility of Congress to authorize the use of military force, diplomatic, military, and economic support to the Government of Israel in its defense of its territory, people and existence.”
This new bill would jeopardize the current talks between Iran and the p5+1. In an interview with Time magazine Iran’s foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif stated:
Any new sanctions passed by the United States Congress would kill the deal.
One senior administration official told?The Washington Post:
Members of Congress pressing for this bill are effectively choosing to close the door on diplomacy, making it far more likely that we’ll be left only with a military option.
This official characterized the message that’s being delivered directly to Senators:
You close the door on diplomacy, and you’re left only with a choice between a possible military option or Iran steadily advancing its nuclear program.
Remember that hardliners in the US have already expressed a desire for strategic nuclear strikes against Iran. These actions will inevitably have a negative effect on our military readiness according to the Military Coalition.??A statement issued by the Military Coalition says:
Currently serving members look at how they, their families, retirees and survivors are being treated when making career decisions. If Congress arbitrarily cuts the retirement benefit for those who have served their country for more than 20 years, there could be a lasting adverse impact on uniformed service career retention, and ultimately, national security.
What is more disheartening? Veterans know that these elected officials will seek service members out for photo ops during elections or to make partisan political points.
Sen. Susan Collins (R- ME) goes so far as to use a picture of Arlington cemetery as the back drop of her Twitter page! ?Collins voted to support cutting retirement and survivor benefits in the Ryan-Murray budget and she is one of the co-sponsors for the bill that could lead our troops into war. In fact, almost every single Senator that; voted for the budget that cuts retirement and survivor benefits, ignored pay raises and co-sponsored a bill that could lead these men and women into war? again, have pictures of themselves standing with military members in uniform.
Roughly 1 percent of the US is currently serving in the military; yet they bear the burden of 100 percent of this nations national defense and wartime activities.In every generation Americans have heard the call to service; yet what if, through broken promises and failed remembrance of past service that call goes unanswered?
Too often we allow them to forget the military members that render service freely, willingly and without question.?Too often we allow elected officials to utter the phrase ?Support Our Troops,? rendering it an empty platitude. We, ourselves often times forget that supporting our troops means ensuring they have what they need while they are in uniform, away at war, when they come home and when they retire; or ensuring their surviving family is cared for because of their great sacrifice.
And it also means holding accountable any elected officials who violate that sacred trust.
The Democratic co-sponsors are Sens. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), Ben Cardin (Md.), Bob Casey Jr. (Pa.), Chris Coons (Del.), Mark Begich (Alaska), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Mark Pryor (Ark.), Mark Warner (Va.), Kay Hagan (N.C.), and Joe Donnelly (Ind.).
The Republican co-sponsors are Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), John McCain (Ariz.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), John Cornyn (Texas), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Bob Corker (Tenn.), Susan Collins (Maine), Jerry Moran (Kan.), Pat Roberts (Kan.), Mike Johanns (Neb.), Ted Cruz (Texas), and Roy Blunt (Mo.). [related_posts] Edited/Published by: SB
