I’ve been on the White House mailing list since about 2006. In 2009, the nature of emails I received from the White House began to change. Now, there is really no rhyme or reason to the announcements I get. I still get some important, embargoed speeches, but I also get these odd emails about how the Justice Department has charged such and such Soldier with fraud. I never get emails with good information about what our troops have accomplished, but always get the ones about how the administration apologizes for [insert stupid Soldier act caught on photo or video and leaked on the internet].
Interestingly, I never received the following statement from the administration in my inbox about H.R. 5856 – Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2013:
The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 5856, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year (FY) ending September 30, 2013, and for other purposes.
…
passing H.R. 5856 at its current funding level would mean that when the Congress constructs other appropriations bills, it would necessitate significant and harmful cuts to critical national priorities such as education, research and development, job training, and health care. Furthermore, the bill undermines key investments in high-priority programs, impeding the ability of the Secretary of Defense to carry out the defense strategic guidance issued earlier this year, and hindering the ability of the Armed Forces to carry out their missions consistent with the new strategy. The Administration also strongly objects to the inclusion of ideological and political provisions that are beyond the scope of funding legislation.
Additionally, the document states that it is the administration’s priority to ensure “funding for Overseas Contingency Operations; the requested pay raise for military personnel; DOD’s program of basic research; the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; and air and missile defense programs, including support for the Government of Israel to purchase additional Iron Dome missile systems.”
This is awesome! A military that has been at war and is becoming exhausted from the high operational tempo over the past decade surely deserves a pay raise. But, wait! The statement noted that there are areas in which the administration is disappointed in Congress, among them “that the Congress did not incorporate the requested TRICARE fee initiatives into either the appropriation or authorization legislation. The Administration asks the House to reconsider the TRICARE fee proposals, which are essential for DOD to successfully address rising personnel costs. The $1.8 billion in savings are part of a carefully balanced FY 2013 Budget request.”
That $1.8 billion in savings is and additional $1.8 billion that the administration wants the troops to pay for. Those “fee initiatives” were hikes in TRICARE health coverage. Hikes in what troops pay at a time in which “a staggering 45 percent” of veterans are seeking compensation service-related injuries.
Our troops are beat up. They’ve been under heavy loads for more than ten years, especially those that have stayed in long enough to rack up multiple tours. Our nation has sent its sons and daughters into hell to find them coming back incomplete.
Nearly half a million veterans have been or are being treated for PTS and other mental health injuries. The Pew Research Center estimates that about 10% of troops have been seriously injured since 2001. These injuries range the entire gamut from tinnitus in the ears to lost of multiple limbs. Some Soldiers are so horribly disfigured they will be forever be gawked at by an unappreciative citizenry.
Yet, instead of ensuring that these troops are offered the BEST health care at the lowest price since they went on the orders of their leaders, our government leadership wants its troops that have borne more sacrifice than ANY OTHER SEGMENT of society to ensure and safeguard freedom. It’s absolutely detestable!!
Now, I understand that there are other areas in the statement that the administration disagrees with that led to a veto threat, but I absolutely reject as selfish and uncaring that the same administration that wants to charge troops more for health care is so happy about providing it for free to society’s freeloaders. It is a smack in the face of our brave warriors who have deployed again and again with seemingly no end in sight. This is the same administration that just two months ago told the Dog Face Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) that our government is “working tirelessly to make sure that our military families are treated with the honor and respect and support that they deserve.”
Where is the “honor and respect and support” in raising health care costs for these military families that have endured literally YEARS away from their husbands and wives, mothers and fathers?
President Obama also said this at Ft. Stewart:
We will remember the profound sacrifices that you’ve made in these wars. Michelle and I just had a few moments at the Warriors Walk, paying tribute to 441 of your fallen comrades — men and women who gave their last full measure of devotion to keep our nation safe. And we will remember them. We will honor them — always. And our thoughts and prayers also go out to the troops from Fort Stewart who are serving so bravely right now as we speak in Afghanistan. And I know many of you will be deploying there, too, so you know you’re going to be in our thoughts and prayers.
Your generation — the 9/11 Generation — has written one of the greatest chapters of military service that America has ever seen. But I know that for many of you, a new chapter is unfolding. The war in Iraq is over. The transition in Afghanistan is underway. Many of our troops are coming home, back to civilian life. And as you return, I know that you’re looking for new jobs and new opportunities and new ways to serve this great country of ours.
And three years ago, I made your generation a promise: I said that when your tour comes to an end — when you see our flag, when you touch down on our soil — you’ll be coming home to an America that will forever fight for you, just as you fought for us.
In ending that speech, President Obama said, “Each of us is here because we had a country that was willing to invest in things like community colleges and universities, and scientific research and medicine, and caring for our veterans. Each of us is only here because somebody, somewhere, had our backs.”
Where is that “somebody, somewhere” to have the backs of our troops now?
The views expressed in this post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views or opinions of any branch of government or military unit.
Thank you for your service soldier! You can bet we are doing everything we can to replace your miserable commander in chief with a competent one.
CJ- Don’t be surprised at the backlash you will get here from the Obama supporters. Your opinion means nothing to them. The only opinion that counts is what Obama says even though you guys experience the reality of his policies. Plenty of them have told me all about Iraq despite them never having been there and they have also told me about all Obama has done for Vets even though they are ignorant of the issues like one you just brought up. When the SEALS took out OBL they were elated for Obama and gave him most if not all the credit. The military and country were a distant second fiddle. Hang in there and welcome home!
CJ, I fear that Obama’s ploy (to raise the amount our military families must pay through the TRICARE fee proposal) he has in mind is just another way to force a card on more Americans.
This time it is the ObamaCare card.
How many military families would be forced onto state insurance exchanges and off of TRICARE if he gets this raise in fees through Congress?
I’m sure that is his plan.
On teleprompter or on paper (all Obama really cares about outside of sports) it makes him look good as more people join the rolls of ObamaCare.
@Nan G: This isn’t the first time he’s done this either.
@another vet: He tried pulling this crap within two months of getting into office! I know because I was at the White House asking his team how Obama expected us to trust him when his administration was labeling us domestic terrorists, Supersilliness was proposing TRICARE hikes, and other areas threatening troops. Within 60 days, I was signing a letter of reprimand for cataloging his failures and lies. So, here’s the score card of my military service:
During 6 years Clinton: squeaky clean service record
During 8 years of Bush: squeaky clean service record
During 3.5 years of Obama: two letters of reprimand for “criticizing a government official.”
And yet, through all three presidents I maintained the same level of political involvement. Go figure. Yeah, this president supports his troops.
CJ, I can’t add anything to the commentary; except to say, a rage is boiling in the heart of Americans, a rage at this strange little man we call the president. It may not be obvious to the casual observer, but it is there, and it is the continual assaults on our freedom and way of life, and especially these insults to our most special Americans, our military that adds fuel to the fire.
@CJ: CJ, I’m long out of the AF so I’ll be more than happy to criticize our faker in chief, his entire Marxist staff and the fools in Congress and the Supreme Court as well as lesser courts and governmental agencies that give aid and comfort to Barry Soetoro and his illegal activities.
@CJ: That’s what I was referring to in my #4. My former AGR Training NCO was at Bragg at the time and told me about it. It was his American Legion that started the fuss over that. He sent me the 17 pages out of Obama’s budget which talked about how they could raise insurance costs on the military to help finance Obamacare.
When I retired out of the Reserves in ’09 I was hoping to get the Gray Area Tricare for my health insurance which was in the works in ’08. The price was very good. After Obama got in there, the price for the insurance more than quadrupled making it twice as expensive as a civilian policy. This man despises the military contrary to the bullshit he puts out in public. You guys are a means to an end for him. That’s all. He proved that when he hijacked the credit from the SEALS (or Delta) for taking out OBL. His “jobs programs for Vets” are a smoke screen. Been there, seen that, done that. Hang in there and be careful as to what you say. Remember that he referred to people who opposed his policies as the enemy.
STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY H.R. 5856 – Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2013
As usual, the republican majority House is trying to throw a monkey wrench into the machinery.
Their intention in this case is to appropriate significantly more for defense than the White House has asked for, so that they can later claim that other programs must be significantly underfunded to meet the bipartisan deficit reduction goals established last summer.
Among other things, the Statement objected to billions of added costs for things that weren’t requested and aren’t needed by the DoD.
An example of your republican House of Representatives, hard at work to reduce federal deficits . . .
Well, it’s not like they need to do anything about the deficit, right? After all, we’re near the end of Obama’s first term, and he promised to the cut the deficit in half by then. He got right on that right after he closed Gitmo and before he ensured the middle-class would never see a tax increase on his watch. *cough*
By the way, I love the idea of you complaining about the idea of “billions of added costs on things that weren’t requested or needed.” Considering that’s been the theme of the Obama Administration – what with the stimulus (which curiously save a majority of funds go to people that donated to his campaign), Solyndra (can’t resist a good photo op), Abound Solar (nice to know those bankruptcy lawyers have steady work), Obamcare (hoo-boy!) and his own fundraisers (which seem to cost as much as he hauls in). (This is the kinda stuff I always say just to provoke my liberal friends and relatives. Watching their faces contort is the funniest part.)
As for this latest stunt, why should anyone be surprised? I remember in 2009 when Obama was really pushing for making wounded veterans pay for their own care? It’s odd how Obama wants to force people into a healthcare system (that he’s curiously exempt from), yet keeps trying to hassle the military. If anyone deserves quality care, it’s the military and that’s some spending that the government could actually be expected to fulfill without question from anyone.
I recall that Anwar Sadat believed there was no live ammo in his last parade. Even a blind man now has hope in the fruit of Arab springtime. It is now summer and the next season will be socialist Fall in Washington but at the same time American Liberty will Spring Forth!
@Greg:Along those lines…..Ener1, Solyndra, Beacon Power, the Volt, Evergreen Solar, SpectraWatt, Sun Power, Genesis Solar Project, Abound Solar, NextEra Energy Resources, AES’ subsidiary Eastern Energy, A123 Systems, Fisker Auto, BrightSource, LSP Energy, Evergreen Solar, ECOtality, Uni-Solar, Azure Dynamics, Solar Trust, Raser Technologies, XL Pipeline, Nevada Geothermal Power (NGP), hundreds of rounds of golf, democrat committes looking into sports issues, maple syrup (really?), how about the slash and burn days of Carter and Clinton…I’m not sold on the idea that a community organizer can preach to me about sacrifice, nor the hundreds of men and women I’ve served with who only want the support of those who sent them and not be concerned with being slapped higher medical fees…Hey, I know you’re on that 3k foot cliff OP, nightly fire and ambushes, have a child at home that most likely will be walking by the time you hit the tarmac on your return, but hey, we need you to sacrifice some more..Then again I wouldn’t expect you to know of those unless you were present…
C.J. Great post and I concur completely. As Skook mentions above, there is a rage boiling over in America. However as I noted in a comment I made on a Holder post here a day or so ago, I have to wonder if there are actually enough Americans in that rage category. This President and his liberal supporters of all ilks have for years not only shown their utter disdain for our military but in fact are actively doing everything in their power to undermine not only the military bit this country as a whole.
so i ask again. will the majority rise up and overthrow this corrupt government we now have before we cease to exist as what our founding fathers gave us? Or will the irresponsible “hands out, let someone else sacrifice both labor , blood and life to take care of me” leftist crowd win out. as I have said more than once, I am afraid we might be to late.
CJ, I hold no such beliefs that President Obama is a fan of the troops. However, I think the DoD budget is a huge honeypot for both sides of the aisle and both sides tend to play too much politics with it. Even when I was in the military I believed that active duty pay should be parsed out of the budget as a whole. It seems to me that most of the time, our pay was determined by what was left over from spending as a whole.
There is also major flaws in the DoD budget process, as there is with all government budget processes. There is one month in the military that stands out above all others….September. During September, one of two things happens. Either your unit has money that must be spent, or your unit has no money. I have seen planes flying non-stop during the month of September, test equipment we did not need ordered, parts we did not need ordered, furniture we did not need ordered. I have also seen Septembers where we flew the planes just enough to keep them from becoming hanger queens, parts were back-ordered, hanger queens were cannibalized, and nothing extra was ordered. All of this because if you did not spend the money you were given, your next year budget would be reduced, regardless of need.
By the way, after 10 years serving in a career field that I loved, with the finest people I ever met, I took an early out because of the politics. I was getting ready to get married and George HW Bush and the democrats were telling active duty military that dependents would no longer receive health and dental benefits. That money would come out of our pay and c0-pays introduced. Thankfully, it never happened, but I refused to be held hostage by the whims of each administration. I served 80% of my 10 years under Ronald Reagan; it was an honor and privilege to have the single greatest CinC in my lifetime. I wish everyone could have that feeling.
Thanks for your service.
@Aqua: Aqua, there are MANY areas where defense spending is overbloated and replete with waste and fraud. We spend entirely too much on travel and training that could be more efficiently managed. I used to serve as the Organization Defense Travel Authority of my unit, which meant that I managed the training and travel budget. The kinds of things that were dubbed “training” or that we spent money on was mind-boggling. I personally saved our unit over $50,000 in the first year and pissed everyone off because it meant a smaller budget the following year. In Afghanistan, I saw firsthand the waste of government funds in contracting and purchasing for commanders.
However, making troops pay more for health care just to free up money for those sitting their duffs isn’t the way to go about saving money in defense. I think we agree there.
GREG
WHICH GREG ARE YOU? YOUR COMMENT IS CONFUSING WITH YOUR NAME,
IS IT THERE TWO GREG , HERE ?
CJ
LIKE another vet said, hang in there, don’t be angry at those nuts, how can they know
what you all are enduring in that hell, if only some who come back to get their jobs,
AMERICA would gain so much WISDOM,
and stay out of trouble in there, YOUR BACK MUST BE WATCH AS WELL AS YOUR FRONT, AND WHERE YOU PUT YOUR FEET, WHILE YOUR EYES WATCHING THE ENEMIES.
there are some here who fight for you, and NOVEMBER IS GETTING CLOSER,
BYE
It’s worse than just increasing Tricare premiums. My sister is a civilian doctor for the Army. She said she is now being restricted on how much treatment she can give each individual. Obamacare’s rationed, degraded healthcare is a reality in the military.
@CJ:
Absolutely. I still think that part of the DoD budget should be removed and voted on with no riders whatsoever. Let them fight it out in regards to missile defense, advance fighters, new tanks, and whatever else they want. Pull pay and benefits out and vote for it separately.
@twinster: You mean they are rationing healthcare for the Soldiers?
@Aqua, #14:
From the current appropriations bill, H.R. 5856:
In other words, spend every nickel whether you need to or not, otherwise you lose the money.
In other words, you are required by law to spend all of the amounts specified in the tables listed at the end of the bill on the items specifically indicated. That goes a giant step beyond spend it or lose it.
Forget any cost-saving measures. That would be in violation of the law. And forget any discretion on the part of the Executive Office or the DoD regarding the extent to which any particular project or program is militarily or strategically useful, or cost effective.
To me, this sort of Congressional micromanaging of DoD operations seems way out of line, and just plain goofy.
That’s no doubt why they’re trying to frame the public discussion entirely in terms of Obama wanting the troops to sacrifice more. It’s deliberate misdirection.
If bills were written in plain, direct English, politicians wouldn’t get away with half the b.s. they routinely get away with.
@CJ: Don’t feel bad. As an HHC 1SG I used to be flown wth my HHC CDR to brief a 2 star on our training plans and DMOSQ etc. Why they needed to be flying us to brief someone 3 echelons above where we were serving is beyond me. The BDE CDR and BDE CSM could have just as easily briefed the CG on the whole BDE and saved a boatload of money since they were there as well.
@another vet: Tricare is starting to cut back on treatments for vets and their families–controlling doctor visits, medications, frequency of bloodwork,etc. according to my physician/sister (works at Army hospital) and my mother who has Tricare. Gov’t is trying to cut costs.
@twinster: It’s bad enough that Vets and their families are being targeted, but do these cuts also affect those who are getting treatment for wounds/injuries sustained in combat overseas or that matter, those incurred during execution of normal duties?
I belive it does, Another Vet.
@Mr. Irons: Truly disgusting.
SpideyTerry
hi,
yes OBAMA has lot’s of friends, they are all LAYORS on the dole of the PEOPLE’S pocket book.
@Greg: Yep they did and well done. No way to expect Democrats to have a clue of the needs of our military. All they know is how to lie to them and increase their healtcare cost!! Pathetic!!
Blind, unthinking partisanship will be the ruin of this country.
Why would anyone conclude that the average member of Congress is better qualified to manage funds allocated for use by the DoD than the DoD itself? Congress can’t even perform it’s own job properly.
@Greg: One thing you know a lot about is partisanship. Ahole Democrats like you and your black messiah invented and perfected it!!
Since you seem to think you have Common Sense totally mastered, you might want to consider devoting a little time to the matter of Common Courtesy.
@Greg: Unlike wacho liberals I live in reality which requires honesty and common sense.