DoD budget seeks cuts in BAH, commissary, Tricare benefits
Army Times
By Andrew Tilghman
Staff writer
February 24, 2014
The Pentagon on Monday proposed the deepest and most far-reaching cuts to military compensation in the 40-year history of the all-volunteer force, explaining that such cuts are necessary in order to pay for more modern gear and high-tech weaponry.
Some highlights of the Defense Department’s budget proposal for fiscal 2015 include the first-ever rollback in Basic Allowance for Housing; a military pay raise that would match last year’s 1 percent hike, the lowest in the volunteer era; massive cuts to commissary subsidies; and potentially increased health care fees for both active-duty families and retirees.
Together, the proposals signal an end to a decade-plus wartime era of rising pay and benefits for troops. Even after the proposed cuts, military compensation would remain comparatively more generous than it was in the 1980s and ’90s. But the Pentagon has never before sought to pare back existing benefits in the all-volunteer era.
Moreover, personnel costs would be slashed further by significant reductions to the size of the force, including the smallest Army since the before the Second World War.
read more here
Showing posts with label budget cut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budget cut. Show all posts
Monday, February 24, 2014
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Shadow fleet hit but budget cuts
Scout mission compromised by funding cut
By Paul McLeary
Staff writer
February 1, 2014
WASHINGTON — Army leadership is betting that an 80 percent solution to its aerial scout needs will be good enough in the coming years, as it scraps its OH-58 Kiowa helicopter fleet in favor of a manned-unmanned mixture for peering over the next ridgeline.
But according to internal Army budget documents, this hybrid concept could be running into a budgetary brick wall.
At a Jan. 14 symposium in Washington, Maj. Gen. Kevin Mangum said the service expects the RQ-7 Shadow unmanned aerial system and Apache attack helicopter will meet “about 80 percent” of the aerial scout requirement until the service decides how it will meet that mission full time in the coming years.
But according to a five-year planning document obtained by Defense News, a sister publication of Army Times, budget cuts have taken away much of the modernization funding for the Shadow fleet.
The lack of research and development funding “prevents software modifications needed to enable manned-unmanned teaming with Apache and integration of Shadow into the full spectrum CAB [combat aviation brigade],” the document said.
The documents are part of the annual weapons systems review that all programs must endure when service officials put together the program objective memorandum budgets that plan out to five years. All of the information contained in the documents is pre-decisional, since they’re concerned with fiscal years 2015-2019.
read more here
By Paul McLeary
Staff writer
February 1, 2014
WASHINGTON — Army leadership is betting that an 80 percent solution to its aerial scout needs will be good enough in the coming years, as it scraps its OH-58 Kiowa helicopter fleet in favor of a manned-unmanned mixture for peering over the next ridgeline.
But according to internal Army budget documents, this hybrid concept could be running into a budgetary brick wall.
At a Jan. 14 symposium in Washington, Maj. Gen. Kevin Mangum said the service expects the RQ-7 Shadow unmanned aerial system and Apache attack helicopter will meet “about 80 percent” of the aerial scout requirement until the service decides how it will meet that mission full time in the coming years.
But according to a five-year planning document obtained by Defense News, a sister publication of Army Times, budget cuts have taken away much of the modernization funding for the Shadow fleet.
The lack of research and development funding “prevents software modifications needed to enable manned-unmanned teaming with Apache and integration of Shadow into the full spectrum CAB [combat aviation brigade],” the document said.
The documents are part of the annual weapons systems review that all programs must endure when service officials put together the program objective memorandum budgets that plan out to five years. All of the information contained in the documents is pre-decisional, since they’re concerned with fiscal years 2015-2019.
read more here
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Disabled veterans to be exempt from cuts
They didn't read the bill they passed! WOW! Veterans suffered because members of congress don't understand what they are doing?
Disabled Veterans to Be Exempted From Pension Cuts
Associated Press
By ANDREW TAYLOR
WASHINGTON January 9, 2014
A massive spending bill taking shape on Capitol Hill is likely to repeal a recently enacted pension cut for disabled veterans.
Capitol Hill aides said Wednesday that the $1 trillion-plus omnibus spending bill measure will reverse a 1 percentage point cut to annual cost-of-living increases that was inadvertently applied to more than 63,000 veterans who have left the military due to injury or disability.
But the controversial pension cut included in last month's budget agreement would continue to apply to other military retirees. It would save about $6 billion over the coming decade, money that's being used to ease cuts to the Pentagon budget this year.
The pension cuts have drawn fierce opposition from veterans groups and lawmakers in both parties, but it's unclear whether the entire provision will be repealed. The aides required anonymity because the spending bill isn't complete and they aren't authorized to discuss it publicly.
Some lawmakers originally claimed, incorrectly, that the pension cut in last month's budget bill would not apply to disabled veterans. When they discovered that it did, they immediately promised to correct it. The upcoming budget measure is the first available vehicle.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., recently defended the pension cut in an op-ed in USA Today, saying he stands behind "responsible reforms of military compensation."
read more here
Monday, June 17, 2013
Sequester hits wounded at Fort Bragg Medical Center
Federal budget cuts hit Fort Bragg Army hospital
Associated Press
Posted on June 16, 2013
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — The Army medical center at Fort Bragg is cutting services and telling workers to take unpaid time off as a result of federal budget cuts ripple through the Defense Department.
Womack Army Medical Center and its clinics and pharmacies serve more than 200,000 Fort Bragg soldiers, airmen, their families and retired military veterans.
read more here
Associated Press
Posted on June 16, 2013
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — The Army medical center at Fort Bragg is cutting services and telling workers to take unpaid time off as a result of federal budget cuts ripple through the Defense Department.
Womack Army Medical Center and its clinics and pharmacies serve more than 200,000 Fort Bragg soldiers, airmen, their families and retired military veterans.
read more here
Monday, March 4, 2013
House agrees on bill to keep government running
House agrees on bill to keep government running
Army Times
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 4, 2013 16:39:36 EST
A stopgap spending bill unveiled Monday to keep the government operating through Sept. 30 would not undo sequestration, but it would give the Defense Department flexibility in how to make $46 billion in reductions.
The House version of the so-called continuing resolution, needed to keep the government operating beyond March 27, represents a bit of pragmatism as lawmakers come to realize they cannot reach a compromise on deficit reduction and spending priorities if they face one crisis deadline after another.
It also represents acceptance of the $86 billion in across-the-board cuts known as sequestration, ordered March 1 by President Obama, as a likely down payment on what further spending cuts ultimately are made.
The bill, HR 933, still requires the $46 billion sequestration cut this year, but it gives DoD more leeway to move money from account to account. It is scheduled to pass the House of Representatives this week; the Senate is working on its own version of the bill that could make additional adjustments in non-defense programs, which would require lawmakers to reach a compromise to avoid a government shutdown when the current continuing resolution expires in late March.
read more here
Army Times
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 4, 2013 16:39:36 EST
A stopgap spending bill unveiled Monday to keep the government operating through Sept. 30 would not undo sequestration, but it would give the Defense Department flexibility in how to make $46 billion in reductions.
The House version of the so-called continuing resolution, needed to keep the government operating beyond March 27, represents a bit of pragmatism as lawmakers come to realize they cannot reach a compromise on deficit reduction and spending priorities if they face one crisis deadline after another.
It also represents acceptance of the $86 billion in across-the-board cuts known as sequestration, ordered March 1 by President Obama, as a likely down payment on what further spending cuts ultimately are made.
The bill, HR 933, still requires the $46 billion sequestration cut this year, but it gives DoD more leeway to move money from account to account. It is scheduled to pass the House of Representatives this week; the Senate is working on its own version of the bill that could make additional adjustments in non-defense programs, which would require lawmakers to reach a compromise to avoid a government shutdown when the current continuing resolution expires in late March.
read more here
Monday, February 25, 2013
Soliders will see less training and more cleaning with budget cuts
Soldiers to help maintain posts in money crunch
By Joe Gould
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2013
Soldiers may find themselves washing windows, cutting grass, manning post gatehouses and doing other jobs they haven’t performed in a generation, under the current budget crunch, according to a top Army official.
As civilians are laid off or furloughed, the Army will have soldiers do their jobs, providing them with less training and fewer services, said Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment.
“What it’s going to mean are shorter operating hours and closed gates,” Hammack said. “It’s going to be inconvenient; it’s going to be longer lines. It’s going to mean you’re going to see soldiers doing things you’ve seen civilians do over the last 10 years. That could be anything from mowing lawns and washing windows to replacing light bulbs.”
Soldiers, instead of training, would be working in maintenance roles because the Army will not otherwise have the money or the manpower. Sustainment, restoration and modernization funding “would have to go away,” Hammack said.
read more here
By Joe Gould
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2013
Soldiers may find themselves washing windows, cutting grass, manning post gatehouses and doing other jobs they haven’t performed in a generation, under the current budget crunch, according to a top Army official.
As civilians are laid off or furloughed, the Army will have soldiers do their jobs, providing them with less training and fewer services, said Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment.
“What it’s going to mean are shorter operating hours and closed gates,” Hammack said. “It’s going to be inconvenient; it’s going to be longer lines. It’s going to mean you’re going to see soldiers doing things you’ve seen civilians do over the last 10 years. That could be anything from mowing lawns and washing windows to replacing light bulbs.”
Soldiers, instead of training, would be working in maintenance roles because the Army will not otherwise have the money or the manpower. Sustainment, restoration and modernization funding “would have to go away,” Hammack said.
read more here
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Defense Department set to announce furlough plan Wednesday
Could someone please remind members of Congress IT IS THEIR JOB TO CONTROL THE FUNDS OF THIS COUNTRY AND THIS IS THEIR FAULT?
Defense Department set to announce furlough plan Wednesday
Chris Carroll
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 19, 2013
WASHINGTON — The Defense Department intends to notify Congress on Wednesday of a plan to furlough nearly 800,000 civilian employees one day each week beginning in April, a defense official said Tuesday.
Federal law requires the Pentagon to warn Congress of furloughs at least 45 days in advance, and other regulations require direct notification of employees at least 30 days in advance.
Cutting workdays and pay will happen if Congress does not find a way to avert budget cuts known as “sequestration,” which are scheduled to kick in March 1 and cut $500 billion out of the Pentagon budget over the coming decade. Military leaders have warned of constricted operations, reduced weapons buys and eventually, reduced end strength for the services.
For now, however, military troops are spared a direct impact of sequestration on their paychecks, and most civilian workers will be the first to bear the brunt.
Defense officials say the most likely scenario would be 22 days of furlough – one day each week – beginning in the last week of April and running through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
read more here
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Special Ops to feel budget pain along with rest of military
Special ops to feel budget pain, leaders say
By Paul McLeary
Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 29, 2013
The potential budget hit produced by sequestration and the possibility that Congress uses another continuing resolution to fund the Pentagon for the rest of 2013 may hit the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) hard, the command’s leadership told an industry conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
SOCOM commander Adm. William McRaven warned the audience at the National Defense Industrial Association Special Operations conference that if Congress passes another continuing resolution to fund the Pentagon through the remainder of 2013, his Special Operations Command would likely lose about $1 billion in funding.
The continuing resolution “puts a greater constraint on us than I think sequestration will,” McRaven said, adding that “we don’t know what sequestration is going to look like, but there is an expectation that it is clearly going to be an additional bill on top of that.”
Whatever the cut might be, however, he assured the crowd that his command’s first priority will always be to protect SOCOM’s ability to fight, saying, “we want to make sure first and foremost that we protect our war-fighting capability. And we will do that.”
read more here
Hagel: Sequester cuts would devastate military
By Marcus Weisgerber
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jan 30, 2013
Sounding much like the man he has been tapped replace, Chuck Hagel believes billions of dollars in defense spending cuts, know as sequestration, would devastate the U.S. military.
Hagel, the former Republican senator that President Barack Obama has nominee for defense secretary, expressed many of the same opinions on major budget and programmatic policies as current Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a 112-page document submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The panel of senators will have a chance to question Hagel during a Jan. 31 confirmation hearing.
“[Sequestration] would harm military readiness and disrupt each and every investment program,” Hagel said. “Based on my assessment to date, I share [Panetta’s] concerns. I urge the Congress to eliminate the sequester threat permanently and pass a balanced deficit-reduction plan.”
Panetta has repeatedly said sequestration – about $500 billion in defense spending cuts over the next decade -- would cause significant damage to the military. The cuts are even more problematic, defense officials say, because Congress has not passed a 2013 defense appropriations bill, meaning the Pentagon is operating under a continuing resolution where spending is frozen at 2012 levels.
read more here
By Paul McLeary
Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 29, 2013
The potential budget hit produced by sequestration and the possibility that Congress uses another continuing resolution to fund the Pentagon for the rest of 2013 may hit the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) hard, the command’s leadership told an industry conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
SOCOM commander Adm. William McRaven warned the audience at the National Defense Industrial Association Special Operations conference that if Congress passes another continuing resolution to fund the Pentagon through the remainder of 2013, his Special Operations Command would likely lose about $1 billion in funding.
The continuing resolution “puts a greater constraint on us than I think sequestration will,” McRaven said, adding that “we don’t know what sequestration is going to look like, but there is an expectation that it is clearly going to be an additional bill on top of that.”
Whatever the cut might be, however, he assured the crowd that his command’s first priority will always be to protect SOCOM’s ability to fight, saying, “we want to make sure first and foremost that we protect our war-fighting capability. And we will do that.”
read more here
Hagel: Sequester cuts would devastate military
By Marcus Weisgerber
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jan 30, 2013
Sounding much like the man he has been tapped replace, Chuck Hagel believes billions of dollars in defense spending cuts, know as sequestration, would devastate the U.S. military.
Hagel, the former Republican senator that President Barack Obama has nominee for defense secretary, expressed many of the same opinions on major budget and programmatic policies as current Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a 112-page document submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The panel of senators will have a chance to question Hagel during a Jan. 31 confirmation hearing.
“[Sequestration] would harm military readiness and disrupt each and every investment program,” Hagel said. “Based on my assessment to date, I share [Panetta’s] concerns. I urge the Congress to eliminate the sequester threat permanently and pass a balanced deficit-reduction plan.”
Panetta has repeatedly said sequestration – about $500 billion in defense spending cuts over the next decade -- would cause significant damage to the military. The cuts are even more problematic, defense officials say, because Congress has not passed a 2013 defense appropriations bill, meaning the Pentagon is operating under a continuing resolution where spending is frozen at 2012 levels.
read more here
Friday, September 14, 2012
Don't Lay America's Debts on Vets' Shoulders
Don't Lay America's Debts on Vets' Shoulders
Posted: 09/14/2012
Huffington Post
Jeremy Hilton
2012 Military Spouse of the Year
This is a call to action for all military men and women, the veterans that came before them, and the families that support them both.
On January 2, 2013, the automatic spending cuts written into the Budget Control Act of 2011 (otherwise known as sequestration) will go into effect, amounting to an additional $500 billion in cuts to the defense budget. Sequestration poses an immediate and direct threat to both our nation's defenses and the people who provide for that defense.
Sequestration would create significant readiness issues, reducing the force by tens of thousands of personnel, freezing compensation, reducing healthcare, and eliminating important family support programs. At an absolutely critical juncture, sequestration has the potential to decimate the all-volunteer force, all because politicians do not want to compromise or make hard decisions.
We understand the sacrifice required of our entire nation in order to reduce our overall deficit and debt. However, this sacrifice should be shared by all. Our nation's debts should not be primarily laid on the shoulders of those who have already given so much.
The Department of Defense's leadership has been constantly pushing Congress to take steps to avoid sequestration. Here is but one example:
Posted: 09/14/2012
Huffington Post
Jeremy Hilton
2012 Military Spouse of the Year
This is a call to action for all military men and women, the veterans that came before them, and the families that support them both.
On January 2, 2013, the automatic spending cuts written into the Budget Control Act of 2011 (otherwise known as sequestration) will go into effect, amounting to an additional $500 billion in cuts to the defense budget. Sequestration poses an immediate and direct threat to both our nation's defenses and the people who provide for that defense.
Sequestration would create significant readiness issues, reducing the force by tens of thousands of personnel, freezing compensation, reducing healthcare, and eliminating important family support programs. At an absolutely critical juncture, sequestration has the potential to decimate the all-volunteer force, all because politicians do not want to compromise or make hard decisions.
We understand the sacrifice required of our entire nation in order to reduce our overall deficit and debt. However, this sacrifice should be shared by all. Our nation's debts should not be primarily laid on the shoulders of those who have already given so much.
The Department of Defense's leadership has been constantly pushing Congress to take steps to avoid sequestration. Here is but one example:
"I've seen extraordinary examples of courage and sacrifice over the past year in the men and women that I've met in the war zones, in the wounded warriors that I've met here at home. They are willing to put their lives on the line in order to protect our country. They deserve better than the threat of sequestration. Too often today, the nation's problems are held hostage to the unwillingness to find consensus and compromise, and in the face of that gridlock, artificial devices like sequester are resorted to in order to somehow force action. But in the absence of action, sequestration could very well threaten the programs critical to our national security...the men and women of this department and their families need to know with certainty that we will meet our commitments to them and to their families." Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Pentagon briefing, June 29, 2012.
read more here
Long-awaited WH report spells out deep sequestration cuts
Long-awaited WH report spells out deep sequestration cuts
By LEO SHANE III
Stars and Stripes
Published: September 14, 2012
WASHINGTON — The White House for the first time offered a detailed look at billions in automatic budget cuts scheduled for January, warning in a report released Friday that alternatives must be found to prevent the crippling of thousands of military and nondefense programs.
For the Defense Department, the scenario would mean roughly a 10 percent cut in military spending, except for personnel accounts. The report doesn't detail exactly what those lost dollars would mean in terms of lost programs or purchases, but does give a top-line view of the size of the cuts.
Defense Health programs would lose about $3.3 billion in funding. Army purchases of combat vehicles, weapons and ammunition would be trimmed by $505 million. The Navy would lose almost $4.4 billion in ship and aircraft procurement money.
The four services’ operations and maintenance accounts would be reduced by more than $18 billion combined.
The automatic cuts, also known as sequestration, were enacted by Congress last summer as part of a larger deficit-reduction plan.
In total, the spending curbs would take away $54.6 billion in planned military spending, the first installment on a 10-year deficit-reduction plan to reduce defense funds by about $500 billion.
The White House called it a potential disaster.
“The administration does not support the indiscriminate, across-the-board cuts in this report,” one senior administration official said. “We believe they should never be implemented.”
When Congress adopted the Budget Control Act, it included the sequestration cuts — more than $1 trillion in budget trims over the next decade, spread evenly between defense and nondefense accounts — as a poison pill designed to force a bipartisan deficit-reduction panel to find alternatives.
read more here
By LEO SHANE III
Stars and Stripes
Published: September 14, 2012
WASHINGTON — The White House for the first time offered a detailed look at billions in automatic budget cuts scheduled for January, warning in a report released Friday that alternatives must be found to prevent the crippling of thousands of military and nondefense programs.
For the Defense Department, the scenario would mean roughly a 10 percent cut in military spending, except for personnel accounts. The report doesn't detail exactly what those lost dollars would mean in terms of lost programs or purchases, but does give a top-line view of the size of the cuts.
Defense Health programs would lose about $3.3 billion in funding. Army purchases of combat vehicles, weapons and ammunition would be trimmed by $505 million. The Navy would lose almost $4.4 billion in ship and aircraft procurement money.
The four services’ operations and maintenance accounts would be reduced by more than $18 billion combined.
The automatic cuts, also known as sequestration, were enacted by Congress last summer as part of a larger deficit-reduction plan.
In total, the spending curbs would take away $54.6 billion in planned military spending, the first installment on a 10-year deficit-reduction plan to reduce defense funds by about $500 billion.
The White House called it a potential disaster.
“The administration does not support the indiscriminate, across-the-board cuts in this report,” one senior administration official said. “We believe they should never be implemented.”
When Congress adopted the Budget Control Act, it included the sequestration cuts — more than $1 trillion in budget trims over the next decade, spread evenly between defense and nondefense accounts — as a poison pill designed to force a bipartisan deficit-reduction panel to find alternatives.
read more here
Monday, August 20, 2012
Fort Hood soldiers have to worry about budget cuts on top of everything else
Fort Hood looks at sequestration
Staff report
Army Times
Posted : Monday Aug 20, 201
Ongoing reductions to the active Army and the possibility of even deeper cuts from sequestration were among soldiers’ top concerns during a two-hour town hall conducted by leaders at III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas.
Lt. Gen. Don Campbell, commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood, said he is optimistic that the installation will not see dramatic changes because of its status as a premier Army post.
“I don’t believe you’ll see a large number of cuts at Fort Hood,” he said. “We have received no guidance on sequestration, and until we receive guidance, we will continue to evaluate the situation with Forces Command and the Department of the Army.”
Fort Hood is one of the Army’s largest installations and is home to the 1st Cavalry Division.
The town hall took place Aug. 14, and leaders fielded more than 200 questions via Facebook and phone. In addition to budget cuts, other issues of concern to soldiers and their families included housing and traffic congestion.
Sequestration, however, was one of the hottest topics during the town hall, with soldiers concerned about the impact of across-the-board defense cuts that could begin in January if Congress and the White House fail to agree on a deficit reduction plan.
The looming $500 billion in defense cuts – which would happen in addition to cuts that are already being made – could slash everything from personnel to programs and health benefits.
read moe here
Staff report
Army Times
Posted : Monday Aug 20, 201
Ongoing reductions to the active Army and the possibility of even deeper cuts from sequestration were among soldiers’ top concerns during a two-hour town hall conducted by leaders at III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas.
Lt. Gen. Don Campbell, commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood, said he is optimistic that the installation will not see dramatic changes because of its status as a premier Army post.
“I don’t believe you’ll see a large number of cuts at Fort Hood,” he said. “We have received no guidance on sequestration, and until we receive guidance, we will continue to evaluate the situation with Forces Command and the Department of the Army.”
Fort Hood is one of the Army’s largest installations and is home to the 1st Cavalry Division.
The town hall took place Aug. 14, and leaders fielded more than 200 questions via Facebook and phone. In addition to budget cuts, other issues of concern to soldiers and their families included housing and traffic congestion.
Sequestration, however, was one of the hottest topics during the town hall, with soldiers concerned about the impact of across-the-board defense cuts that could begin in January if Congress and the White House fail to agree on a deficit reduction plan.
The looming $500 billion in defense cuts – which would happen in addition to cuts that are already being made – could slash everything from personnel to programs and health benefits.
read moe here
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Defense contractors rally against budget cuts
Defense contractors rally against budget cuts
By Kevin Wang
Medill News Service
Posted : Wednesday Aug 1, 2012
With automatic, across-the-board federal budget cuts slated to begin next January, defense industry leaders warned of deep wounds to America’s backbone if Congress fails to act to avoid the roughly $1 trillion in reductions.
At a rally Monday in Crystal City, Va., some Northern Virginia-based defense contractors said the mandatory cuts, which will take effect if Congress doesn’t craft an alternative budget-cutting package, would cost millions of American jobs and ripple across the entire economy.
More than 200 people, many employed by the contractors, attended the 1½-hour event.
Wes Bush, CEO of the leading unmanned aircraft manufacturer Northrop Grumman Corp., said sequestration could hurt both the nation’s defense and non-defense sectors by causing massive layoffs, including in such fields as air traffic controllers and government inspectors.
According to a recent study by the Aerospace Industries Association, which represents major U.S. aerospace and defense companies, sequestration could cost more than 2.1 million jobs nationwide and increase the unemployment rate by up to 1.5 percent.
read more here
By Kevin Wang
Medill News Service
Posted : Wednesday Aug 1, 2012
With automatic, across-the-board federal budget cuts slated to begin next January, defense industry leaders warned of deep wounds to America’s backbone if Congress fails to act to avoid the roughly $1 trillion in reductions.
At a rally Monday in Crystal City, Va., some Northern Virginia-based defense contractors said the mandatory cuts, which will take effect if Congress doesn’t craft an alternative budget-cutting package, would cost millions of American jobs and ripple across the entire economy.
More than 200 people, many employed by the contractors, attended the 1½-hour event.
Wes Bush, CEO of the leading unmanned aircraft manufacturer Northrop Grumman Corp., said sequestration could hurt both the nation’s defense and non-defense sectors by causing massive layoffs, including in such fields as air traffic controllers and government inspectors.
According to a recent study by the Aerospace Industries Association, which represents major U.S. aerospace and defense companies, sequestration could cost more than 2.1 million jobs nationwide and increase the unemployment rate by up to 1.5 percent.
read more here
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
DoD outlines impact of ‘irrational’ budget cuts
DoD outlines impact of ‘irrational’ budget cuts
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Aug 1, 2012
An Obama administration decision to exempt military personnel programs from potential across-the-board budget cuts in January does not mean troops and their families would feel no impact from the budget process known as sequestration.
Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned of potential widespread effects.
For service members, retirees and families, Carter warned, reductions in health care funding would result in “delays in payments to service providers and, potentially, some denial of service” under the Tricare health care program.
read more here
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Aug 1, 2012
An Obama administration decision to exempt military personnel programs from potential across-the-board budget cuts in January does not mean troops and their families would feel no impact from the budget process known as sequestration.
Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned of potential widespread effects.
For service members, retirees and families, Carter warned, reductions in health care funding would result in “delays in payments to service providers and, potentially, some denial of service” under the Tricare health care program.
read more here
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Marines Brace for Cuts From Pentagon
Local Marines Brace for Cuts From Pentagon
More than 600 Marines filled Camp Pendleton’s base theater to learn how the Marine Corps will decide who will stay and who will go
By Lea Sutton
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2012
NBC San Diego
Major cuts in the defense budget are making their way to San Diego as the Marine Corps prepares to cut the size of its overall force by 20,000 Marines.
On Tuesday, officials from Headquarters Marine Corps were on Camp Pendleton to brief Marines on that drawdown plan.
Anxiety was in the air on base as many Marines braced themselves for how those personnel cuts will affect them.
"We know that the drawdowns are happening, so I think everybody's kind of anxious trying to figure out how that affects them. You know, for their personal life - not only for their own career, but for their families”, said Major Mark Paolicelli, who attended the brief.
More than 600 Marines filled Camp Pendleton’s base theater to learn how the Marine Corps will decide who will stay and who will go.
read more here
More than 600 Marines filled Camp Pendleton’s base theater to learn how the Marine Corps will decide who will stay and who will go
By Lea Sutton
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2012
NBC San Diego
Major cuts in the defense budget are making their way to San Diego as the Marine Corps prepares to cut the size of its overall force by 20,000 Marines.
On Tuesday, officials from Headquarters Marine Corps were on Camp Pendleton to brief Marines on that drawdown plan.
Anxiety was in the air on base as many Marines braced themselves for how those personnel cuts will affect them.
"We know that the drawdowns are happening, so I think everybody's kind of anxious trying to figure out how that affects them. You know, for their personal life - not only for their own career, but for their families”, said Major Mark Paolicelli, who attended the brief.
More than 600 Marines filled Camp Pendleton’s base theater to learn how the Marine Corps will decide who will stay and who will go.
read more here
Friday, July 29, 2011
GOP elected and veterans? Frankly my dear they don't give a damn!
If there is anyone left in this country still under the delusion the Republican party is for veterans, they will never wake up. The people who really cared about the troops and veterans in the GOP retired a long time ago yet some just assume they care because they say so.
All you have to do is look at all the Bills over the last ten years to know what the truth is, who voted for veterans and who voted against them.
Social Security and Medicare are part of how veterans pay bills just like their disability checks. Everything we need on a daily basis to live is on the line while most of the Republican elected fight tooth and nail for the sake of the tax breaks for the rich. They are not fighting for us. Frankly my dear, they just don't give a damn about the debt this nation owes veterans. After all, since most of the members of congress are in the ranks of the rich, how could they possibly understand that the debt they are talking about putting on hold was due payable as soon as the men and women entered into the military. They will let everyone suffer so that their rich friends get to keep their tax cuts no matter who has to suffer.
This goes on to print how some veterans are blaming Obama for telling them what's on the line but when you stop and think about all of this, the target of righteous anger should be the members of congress not fighting for us. They expect us to forget about all the money that went missing in Iraq they never even thought of looking into. Any idea how far billions could go in taking care of the wounded coming home? They allowed the wars to be ongoing with no one checking on where the money was going but now they complain? They didn't even demand the two wars were made part of the budget as if they were not worth it. All they did was demand the money be there so that we would "support the troops" and now, now suddenly they care about the debt because both wars are in the budget?
I feel sorry for anyone blindly supporting members of both parties without knowing who is the "friendly" and who is the "enemy" of veterans.
All you have to do is look at all the Bills over the last ten years to know what the truth is, who voted for veterans and who voted against them.
Social Security and Medicare are part of how veterans pay bills just like their disability checks. Everything we need on a daily basis to live is on the line while most of the Republican elected fight tooth and nail for the sake of the tax breaks for the rich. They are not fighting for us. Frankly my dear, they just don't give a damn about the debt this nation owes veterans. After all, since most of the members of congress are in the ranks of the rich, how could they possibly understand that the debt they are talking about putting on hold was due payable as soon as the men and women entered into the military. They will let everyone suffer so that their rich friends get to keep their tax cuts no matter who has to suffer.
White House to veterans: Boehner's plan will endanger your benefits
Joe Newby, Spokane Conservative Examiner
On Tuesday, Obama Administration officials met with representatives of veterans groups in an effort to frighten them - just as the President did with seniors earlier in July - into believing that the Republicans would endanger their benefits in the event America defaulted on its debt.
Although Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the president, said she believes the military will continue to be paid in the event of a default, officials said the plan being worked on by House Speaker John Boehner “would endanger veterans benefits,” according to Joseph R. Chenelly of the Disabled American Veterans.
“They said the president understood veterans’ anxiety and regretted it,” he said, the Washington Post reported.
According to the Post:
Tuesday’s meeting came on the eve of an online protest meant to protect veteran benefits during the debt crisis negotiations. DAV, the nation’s largest group representing disabled veterans and their families, is organizing a “virtual march on Washington” on Facebook for Wednesday.
Thousands of virtual marchers have registered for the online protest, according to the DAV. Though it will take place primarily on Facebook, links to participate will also be available at http://www.dav.org and on Twitter, using the hashtag #March4Vets, organizers said.
read more here
White House to veterans
This goes on to print how some veterans are blaming Obama for telling them what's on the line but when you stop and think about all of this, the target of righteous anger should be the members of congress not fighting for us. They expect us to forget about all the money that went missing in Iraq they never even thought of looking into. Any idea how far billions could go in taking care of the wounded coming home? They allowed the wars to be ongoing with no one checking on where the money was going but now they complain? They didn't even demand the two wars were made part of the budget as if they were not worth it. All they did was demand the money be there so that we would "support the troops" and now, now suddenly they care about the debt because both wars are in the budget?
I feel sorry for anyone blindly supporting members of both parties without knowing who is the "friendly" and who is the "enemy" of veterans.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Congressman Moran, the veteran and the video
Congressman Jim Moran (D) 8th District of Virginia has become the focus of the blog world because of this exchange with a veteran.
The veteran was respectful asking his question about why the congressman was there instead of in Washington working on the budget because the troops would end up not being paid if the government shut down. Moran listened without interrupting the veteran. When Moran addressed the fact that the majority party (the Republicans) control how congress runs, when they are in session and what hearings they hold, the veteran interrupted Moran and then tempers took over.
While the blog world seems to want to paint Moran as an angry man disrespecting a veteran, this is being blown out of proportion.
The veteran is clearly passionate about the troops but the bulk of his question was about why congress was not working to fix the budget to avoid shutdown. Moran was trying to address that and the veteran's interruption was about the troops. Both men were angry but neither of them got out of control.
At least there is a temporary budget deal to keep the government going as of late last night. All in all the veteran is right and they should have been working on this day and night until they managed to get a budget passed for real instead of these temporary measures. One more thing the media misses in their reporting but the American people are already thinking. How serious were they when Republican leadership didn't think it was worth everyone working overtime for?
The veteran was respectful asking his question about why the congressman was there instead of in Washington working on the budget because the troops would end up not being paid if the government shut down. Moran listened without interrupting the veteran. When Moran addressed the fact that the majority party (the Republicans) control how congress runs, when they are in session and what hearings they hold, the veteran interrupted Moran and then tempers took over.
While the blog world seems to want to paint Moran as an angry man disrespecting a veteran, this is being blown out of proportion.
The veteran is clearly passionate about the troops but the bulk of his question was about why congress was not working to fix the budget to avoid shutdown. Moran was trying to address that and the veteran's interruption was about the troops. Both men were angry but neither of them got out of control.
At least there is a temporary budget deal to keep the government going as of late last night. All in all the veteran is right and they should have been working on this day and night until they managed to get a budget passed for real instead of these temporary measures. One more thing the media misses in their reporting but the American people are already thinking. How serious were they when Republican leadership didn't think it was worth everyone working overtime for?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Florida Veterans Face Budget Cuts and Agency Changes
Florida Veterans Face Budget Cuts and Agency Changes
Posted Wed, Feb 09, 2011 at 06:02 am
Retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Bob Milligan.
By Bobbie O'Brien
TAMPA
At first glance, it appears there is a 44 percent slash in the governor's proposed budget for the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott's budget cuts and agency reductions are now available online. Floridians can compare his recommendations to the agency’s requests and to current budgets.
If you compare the current state veterans affairs budget of $81 million to the governor’s proposed budget of $45.5 million, it appears as if Scott is cutting the agency 44 percent.
But that’s not the case. Veterans Affairs spokesman Steve Murray said the governor’s proposal reflects the transfer of the department’s six nursing homes and one assisted living facility, the largest portion of the budget, to a public corporation.
“This public corporation could report directly to the governor and cabinet," Murray said. "It would operate in the sunshine. Our agency the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs would work hand in hand with the corporation on veterans issues. We would be able to retain VA funding."
read more here
Florida Veterans Face Budget Cuts and Agency Changes
Posted Wed, Feb 09, 2011 at 06:02 am
Retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Bob Milligan.
By Bobbie O'Brien
TAMPA
At first glance, it appears there is a 44 percent slash in the governor's proposed budget for the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott's budget cuts and agency reductions are now available online. Floridians can compare his recommendations to the agency’s requests and to current budgets.
If you compare the current state veterans affairs budget of $81 million to the governor’s proposed budget of $45.5 million, it appears as if Scott is cutting the agency 44 percent.
But that’s not the case. Veterans Affairs spokesman Steve Murray said the governor’s proposal reflects the transfer of the department’s six nursing homes and one assisted living facility, the largest portion of the budget, to a public corporation.
“This public corporation could report directly to the governor and cabinet," Murray said. "It would operate in the sunshine. Our agency the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs would work hand in hand with the corporation on veterans issues. We would be able to retain VA funding."
read more here
Florida Veterans Face Budget Cuts and Agency Changes
Monday, August 24, 2009
Mental and social services face cut in Hernando County budget
It looks like Florida wants to make sure they drop from a D to an F when it comes to mental healthcare. Wonder if all the people against healthcare ever seem to manage to figure out a lot of the people in need in Florida also happen to be veterans with claims in limbo but still need to be taken care of? Lack of mental healthcare is an increase in crimes, divorce, homelessness, suicide, you name it. Do they think how much money it costs to not take care of people in the long run?
Mental and social services face cut in Hernando County budget
By Barbara Behrendt, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Monday, August 24, 2009
BROOKSVILLE — A national advocacy group this year awarded a grade of D to the state of Florida for its care of the mentally ill.
The news is even worse in Hernando County, where involuntary commitments under the Baker Act, mental health hospitalizations, domestic violence incidents and suicide threats are all above state averages.
None of Hernando County's acute-care hospitals have psychiatric beds. Springbrook Hospital does, but the for-profit psychiatric facility has a high occupancy rate. BayCare Behavioral Health has just a handful of crisis stabilization beds, and they're in great demand.
read more here
Mental and social services face cut in Hernando County budget
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Budget-crunched Peace Corps cuts volunteer positions
Budget-crunched Peace Corps cuts volunteer positions
Volunteers who thought their assignment was a sure thing learn otherwise.
By Cynthia Dizikes, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 14, 2008
WASHINGTON -- The Peace Corps boasts that it's "the toughest job you'll ever love," but this year, just getting hired may be the toughest part.
At a time when both presidential candidates have pledged to promote and expand national service, the popular humanitarian assistance program that sends thousands of Americans abroad annually is now planning to cut 400 volunteer positions in the face of an unexpected multimillion-dollar budget shortfall. With fewer spots, an increasing number of Peace Corps nominees who were expecting to begin service this fall have seen their deployments delayed at least until next year -- and in some cases indefinitely.
"There are more people waiting this time than in years past," said Rosie Mauk, the Peace Corps' associate director of volunteer recruitment and selection. "The recruiters don't like to tell people that there isn't a spot for them. To have to tell people that they have gotten to know -- and they know are passionate about the Peace Corps -- that there is just not room for them now is the most difficult part."
click post title for more
Volunteers who thought their assignment was a sure thing learn otherwise.
By Cynthia Dizikes, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 14, 2008
WASHINGTON -- The Peace Corps boasts that it's "the toughest job you'll ever love," but this year, just getting hired may be the toughest part.
At a time when both presidential candidates have pledged to promote and expand national service, the popular humanitarian assistance program that sends thousands of Americans abroad annually is now planning to cut 400 volunteer positions in the face of an unexpected multimillion-dollar budget shortfall. With fewer spots, an increasing number of Peace Corps nominees who were expecting to begin service this fall have seen their deployments delayed at least until next year -- and in some cases indefinitely.
"There are more people waiting this time than in years past," said Rosie Mauk, the Peace Corps' associate director of volunteer recruitment and selection. "The recruiters don't like to tell people that there isn't a spot for them. To have to tell people that they have gotten to know -- and they know are passionate about the Peace Corps -- that there is just not room for them now is the most difficult part."
click post title for more
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Florida:Orange and Osceola Prosecutors Seek Volunteers
Orange-Osceola prosecutors seek volunteers
TONI A. SKALICAN Sentinel Staff Writer
August 31, 2008
The Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office has a new strategy for coping with state budget cuts: actively recruiting people to volunteer to help prosecutors.
State Attorney Lawson Lamar on Friday detailed his "Volunteer September" effort, which aims to fill 100 positions with dedicated volunteers in his agency.
Volunteer opportunities include positions in administration, records management, translation, victim advocacy and law internships, Lamar said.People who are interested should call 407-836-1591 or e-mail govolunteer@sao9.net.
Lamar said the effort could save nearly $1 million a year. Volunteers would help the agency save money, and they will learn new things about the state court system, he said.
go here for more
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/osceola/orl-b3court31_108aug31,0,7094192.story
TONI A. SKALICAN Sentinel Staff Writer
August 31, 2008
The Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office has a new strategy for coping with state budget cuts: actively recruiting people to volunteer to help prosecutors.
State Attorney Lawson Lamar on Friday detailed his "Volunteer September" effort, which aims to fill 100 positions with dedicated volunteers in his agency.
Volunteer opportunities include positions in administration, records management, translation, victim advocacy and law internships, Lamar said.People who are interested should call 407-836-1591 or e-mail govolunteer@sao9.net.
Lamar said the effort could save nearly $1 million a year. Volunteers would help the agency save money, and they will learn new things about the state court system, he said.
go here for more
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/osceola/orl-b3court31_108aug31,0,7094192.story
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