The following is a letter sent by the house leadership to the President. It seems the Congress has proposed a modest 3.5% pay raise for our troops plus some additional money for surviving spouses. The President, suddenly a fiscal conservative, says "no, they only deserve 3.0%."
Dear Mr. President,Tell me again why people think Republicans are more supportive of our troops than Democrats.
We are writing to urge you to reconsider your objections to H.R. 1585, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.
Your office's recent Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 1585 raised several concerns regarding this bipartisan legislation that the House of Representatives passed yesterday by an overwhelming 397-27 margin.
In particular, the Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 1585 objected to sections 601 and 606, which raises military pay 0.5% above your proposal, and Section 644, which provides an extra $40 per month for surviving spouses of fallen members of our armed services.
Mr. President, you have consistently called on Congress and the American people to support our troops. Considering the sacrifices that our military families make, the Democratic proposal to provide the troops with the pay raise they deserve and an increase in benefits for the spouses they may leave behind is one small way that we can support our troops.
When it comes to supporting our troops, our actions must match our words. Please join us in supporting our troops by reconsidering both your veto threat to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, and your objections to an increase in military pay and survivor benefits for the brave men and women serving our country in the armed forces.
Respectfully,
Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
Steny Hoyer
Majority leader
James Clyburn
Majority whip
Rahm Emanuel
Chair, Democratic Caucus
Ike Skelton
Chair, House Armed Services Committee
Ellen Tauscher
Chair, Strategic Forces Subcommittee
Steve Israel
Member of Congress
