Senator Ayotte On The Recent Budget Bill - Granite Grok

Senator Ayotte On The Recent Budget Bill

From a Reader:  NH Senator Kelly Ayotte’s response regarding the “Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013.  Note the bits about veterans benefits cuts and then read what I posted here yesterday re; Jeanne Shaheen.
Dear Mr xxxxxx:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013
(H.J. Res. 59). I appreciate hearing from you.

On December 18, the Senate passed a budget proposal that includes a
framework for spending levels through the end of Fiscal Year 2015 and
some relief from indiscriminate sequestration cuts. I want nothing more
than for Congress to pass a responsible budget for our nation that
provides fiscal certainty and offers some relief from sequestration to
restore our military readiness. While I appreciate the work of House
Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Budget Committee
Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA), I could not support the legislation as
written because it fails to address the biggest drivers of our nation’s
skyrocketing debt and instead unfairly singles out military retirees by
cutting their hard-earned retirement benefits by $6 billion — including
disabled veterans who retire because of their injuries. In other words,
this deal is achieved on the backs of our military men and women who
have put their lives on the line to defend our nation.


In order to achieve approximately $6 billion in savings, the budget bill
included a 1 percent annual reduction in the cost of living adjustment
for military retirees. Under the proposal, a Sergeant First Class in the
Army who qualifies for retirement at 20 years of service at age 40, and
who has most likely deployed multiple times to war, could lose
approximately $72,000 between retirement and turning age 62.

When I pressed for answers on who would be affected, the Department of
Defense informed my office that the cuts would also apply to service
members medically retired – including those who sustained injuries in
combat, men and women who sacrificed mightily for our nation. Having
visited some of our wounded warriors at Walter Reed, I can’t imagine
doing this to those who have sacrificed for us.

Military retirees were the only ones treated differently in the budget
agreement. There were changes made to contributions that federal
employees have to make to their retirement but those changes apply only
to new hires. Current federal employees are grandfathered.
Unfortunately, our military retirees were not given the same
protections. That’s unacceptable, and it sends a demoralizing message to
our men and women serving in harm’s way in Afghanistan and around the world.

Given that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that
the federal government will spend $47 trillion over the next 10 years,
with just a little effort we can work together to find $6 billion to
replace these unfair reductions. And with billions in wasteful spending
throughout the government, it’s a false choice to suggest that the
government will shut down unless military retiree benefits are cut.

During consideration of the budget proposal, I introduced two amendments
to replace these unfair cuts, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
blocked all amendments to the budget from being considered and voted on.
One of my amendments would have saved billions by stopping a scheme
uncovered by the Treasury Department watchdog in which illegal
immigrants fraudulently claim the Additional Child Tax Credit. Another
proposal would close a loophole that costs billions in which some
states, not including New Hampshire, dole out nominal energy assistance
benefits – as low as $1 – to automatically increase Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for households that may otherwise
be ineligible.

In addition, over the past three years, the Government Accountability
Office has uncovered 162 areas of fragmentation, overlap and duplication
in federal agencies – adding up to hundreds of billions in unnecessary
spending. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) recently released his annual
oversight report “Wastebook 2013” highlighting 100 examples of wasteful
and low-priority spending totaling nearly $30 billion. These are just
some examples among many of how we could have covered the $6 billion in
cuts to military retiree benefits.

In the midst of the Senate’s holiday rush to leave town, I took to the
Senate floor repeatedly to urge my colleagues to come together and fix
this troubling provision before passing the legislation and adjourning.
Unfortunately, the Senate voted 64-36 in favor of the bill without
replacing these unfair cuts. Passing this budget deal with these
offensive cuts in it and saying we’ll fix it later is a cop-out and no
comfort to our military retirees, who now have to rely on Washington
politicians to change a law they voted for.

Both parties must work together immediately to replace these cuts, and I
have introduced the Keeping our Promise to our Military Heroes Act (S.
1869) to repeal the egregious military retiree cuts and replace those
cuts by closing a loophole that allows illegal immigrants to
fraudulently claim the child tax credit. I hope the Senate will consider
my bill as a way to fix this problem. Military retirees earned their
benefits through their brave service to our nation, and we would not
enjoy the freedoms in our great country if not for the sacrifices of our
servicemen and women.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. As your Senator, it
is important for me to hear from you regarding the current issues
affecting New Hampshire and our nation. Please do not hesitate to be in
touch again if I may be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Signature
Kelly A. Ayotte
U. S. Senator

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