[TFL] House-Passed Defense Spending Bill (Prohibit funds from being used to increase TFL)

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Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:20:56 -0500
House-Passed Defense Spending Bill Silent On Civilian Pay Raise

By Amanda Palleschi 

July 20, 2012

The House approved a $606 billion Defense Department spending bill late Thursday
that contains a pay raise for military members but not the Pentagon's civilians.

The measure passed the house by a 326-90 vote and provides $518 billion in
non-war funding, $1.1 billion lower than the initial versions of the legislation
had allotted.

Debate on the House floor focused primarily on funding levels in Afghanistan and
Iraq, as well as efforts from members in both parties to limit defense spending
to help reduce the deficit. Defense must find $487 billion in savings in its
budget over the next 10 years, or face an additional $600 billion in cuts over
10 years as part of $1.2 trillion in cuts government wide.

The White House threatened to veto the bill prior to its passage Thursday; the
initial version was about $3 billion higher than President Obama's budget
request. Pay and benefits provisions were among White House objections: The
spending bill approved by the House includes a 1.7 pay raise for military
members, as does Obama's budget proposal. But the legislation does not include
Obama's recommended 0.5 percent pay raise for civilians. An amendment included
in the bill would prohibit funds from being used to increase TRICARE for Life --
TRICARE health coverage for Medicare-covered beneficiaries older than 65.

The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., passed by a 399-17 voice
vote. The Obama administration's fiscal 2013 Defense spending request included
proposals to hike TRICARE fees to generate savings, including new co-pays,
additional increases to TRICARE Prime enrollment fees, initiation of standard
and extra annual enrollment fees, adjustments to deductibles, catastrophic
coverage caps, and annual fees for Medicare-covered beneficiaries older than 65
(TRICARE for Life).

Additional TRICARE for Life fees "represent a very serious breach of faith, as
it taxes the oldest cohort of military retirees and their families," Stearns
said Thursday. The House-passed National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal
2013 also chose to exclude the administration's request for the authority to
levy the increases.

The Senate is expected to mark up its version of the Defense spending bill after
the August recess, but a compromise and final spending bill seem unlikely to
come together before November's lame duck session. The Senate has yet to pass
any appropriations bills.

The House also has remained silent on federal civilian pay freezes in other
appropriations bills.

The bill also scrapped an amendment authored by Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., which
would have capped Defense contractor salary reimbursements at $230,700, the same
level proposed by the Senate last month. The provision was dismissed on the
procedural grounds that the matter was better suited to an authorization bill.
It still could be included in the spending bill when conferees from the House
and Senate finalize the language.

National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley praised Tonko's
efforts and approved of his "understanding of the need to inject reality into
this extravagant aspect of the government contracting process." But, she said
after the vote, she was "deeply disappointed that this measure would not even be
considered for an up or down vote."

"The reality is that the American people cannot afford to pay unlimited salaries
to defense contractors, nor should we," Kelley said. "At a time when Congress
should be reviewing the defense budget for savings with a fine-tooth comb, House
Republicans have blocked very significant progress against wasteful spending."

 

 

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SOURCE:  GovExec Article at
http://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2012/07/house-passes-defense-appropriations-
bill-remains-silent-civilian-pay-raise/56904/

 

 

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[TFL] House-Passed Defense Spending Bill (Prohibit funds from being used to increase TFL)

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