National

Tonight’s show picked up right where we left off last time, talking about the selling out of Veteran’s retirement benefits for a ‘Bipartisan’ budget deal.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/12/26/military-veterans-scathing-open-letter-to-paul-ryan-is-set-to-go-viral/

• Chuck Wooten – military vet ticked off about the Paul Ryan/Patty Murray ‘bipartisan’ budget deal

• includes cuts to veteran retirements (we already talked about it)

• the final straw was getting a fundraising email from Paul Ryan

• took to FB and his post went viral

– A snippet of Mr. Wooten’s letter –

You may not know us by name, but we’re the people, Congressman, who answered our Nation’s call, some of us at a very early age to willingly serve YOU and others LIKE YOU so you could safely attend college and pursue your personal ambitions without fear of harm.

You might also want to note that for at least 20 years, my brothers-in-arms answered that call of duty EVERY SINGLE DAY, without fail, without complaint, without enough money to sustain our loved ones we had to leave behind while we DID OUR JOB in every corner of the Earth. And for that service, we were given absolute assurance our so-called retirement benefits would be protected by law. The very law you shattered in your zeal to impress your Democratic cohorts in your back room deal–with the enemy.

If you think this is just a few people that are outraged about this, you are wrong! Many veteran groups are steamed about this. And rightly so, especially after hearing this:

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/12/23/AP-Military-Personnel-Make-Enough-Money-To-Survive-Pension-Cuts

• AP thinks that retiring military personnel should be able to weather the cuts

• AP suggests that they – the military retirees –  have great health insurance

• and “quality of life” benefits: among them are payments for continued education and the ability to buy groceries at a discount   —-   [(but not when the government shuts down!)more on this when we get around to our Year in Review show]

Look, our veterans don’t deserve this. We need to do more to show our appreciation for their service. It’s not because they need to pay rent! They do it because they love their country. Please, feel free to share this with your friends and family to raise some awareness.

Show Notes:

Show length: 30 min

Topic: Military pension cuts

• McCaskill says one thing but does another

• how are veterans affected

• how much money

• where is it going

LINKS

Roll Call Vote: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=1&vote=00281

Text of HJ59 Bill: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113hjres59enr/pdf/BILLS-113hjres59enr.pdf

Democrats would rather fund illegal immigrant Child Tax credit loophole: http://dailycaller.com/2013/12/18/senate-dems-block-amendment-to-restore-veteran-benefits-by-closing-illegal-immigrant-welfare-loophole/

Republicans argue to find funding elsewhere: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?r113:18:./temp/~r113ocNkZp::

FACT: http://veterans.house.gov/budget – The GOP Budget Keeps Discretionary Spending for Veterans Exactly the Same as Proposed By President Obama: $61.342 Billion. Using CBO numbers (which, by law, every Congressional budget resolution must use), the GOP budget assumes discretionary spending (i.e., VA medical care, construction, claims processing and national cemetery administration, etc.) on veterans in FY 2013 at exactly the amount requested in the President’s Budget. In both budgets, this translates to a 4.3% increase above the FY 2012 funding level for VA, as recommended in the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs’ bipartisan Views and Estimates letter.

FACT: The GOP Budget Fully Funds VA Entitlement Programs in FY 2013 and Beyond. Again, using CBO numbers, the GOP budget fully funds VA entitlement programs (i.e., disability compensation, pension, GI Bill, etc.) this year and beyond. The only difference between the GOP Budget and the President’s Budget under mandatory spending is the exclusion of the President’s $1 billion Veterans Jobs Corps proposal, on which the Administration has yet to produce any details. The exclusion of the Veterans Jobs Corps in FY 2013 spending is supported by all 11 House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs’ Democrats and Senator Patty Murray of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (see SVAC V&E letter).

FACT: The Word “Veterans” Appears 41 Times in the GOP Budget. FY 2014 advanced appropriations for veterans’ medical care is dictated by Section 501(c) of the GOP budget resolution, which permits advance appropriation not exceeding $54.462 Billion “for the following programs in the Department of Veterans Affairs – (A) Medical Services; (B) Medical Support and Compliance; and (C) Medical Facilities accounts of the Veterans Health Administration.”  The word “veterans” clearly appears in the GOP Budget.

COMPLETE LIE: HJ 59

SEC. 112. LIMITATION ON ADVANCE APPROPRIATIONS IN THE SENATE.

for fiscal years 2015 and 2016 for programs, projects, activities, or accounts identified in a statement submitted to the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate under the heading “Accounts Identified for Advance Appropriations” in an aggregate amount not to exceed $28,852,000,000 in new budget authority in each fiscal year;

(B) for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; and
(C) for the Department of Veterans Affairs for the Medical Services, Medical Support and Compliance, and Medical Facilities accounts of the Veterans Health Administration.