Military COLA looks like it will recover

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

From an Alaskan senator's email to me tonight:

Dear Friends,

Today, the Senate made good on their promise to veterans. After weeks of pressure from me, the Senate finally reversed the unfair cuts to cost of living adjustments (COLA) for military retirees on a successful vote 95-3.

I made it clear that I would not back down until this problem was fixed and our promise kept. As I have said over and over again – you either stand with our vets or against them and ultimately those who were trying to delay this fix realized they didn’t want to be on the wrong side.

On Monday, my bill to repeal the COLA reduction unanimously passed a Senate hurdle by a vote of 94-0. The unwavering bipartisan support sent a clear signal that there was simply no more time to waste. Recognizing the pressure to act quickly, the House of Representatives then voted on its own fix Wednesday afternoon.

I worked hard to make sure legislation moved forward and was aggressive in calling for full restoration of the COLA benefit for veterans who made their careers in the military and were promised full pensions. This past week I also took to the Senate floor to urge my colleagues to support our vets and participated in multiple events alongside veterans organizations.

I continue to think it was unfair to stall the issue for the sake of a political argument over a “pay-for.” But even though the frequently divided House agreed to pass the fix along with an offset, I voted to pass this bill anyway to make good on my pledge to veterans to reverse this unfair cut.

Our service members and veterans count on the benefits they earned, and I continue to believe that we shouldn’t be balancing the budget on the backs of the brave men and women who have sacrificed for our country.

With your support, I was able to restore full pensions that Alaska veterans earned and deserve. As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, I will continue to make sure promises made to veterans are kept.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

From an Alaskan senator's email to me tonight:

Congratulations, you got a +1 from me. That makes you "special".

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Congratulations, you got a +1 from me. That makes you "special".

As in olympics, or education?

I was just impressed that I got a reply at all. I had written 6 or 7 senators about it, got 3 replies, a couple said that's just the way it is, some never replied. This guy seems to care enough to put forth an effort.

Edited February 13, 2014 by DavenRoxy

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

As in olympics, or education?

I was just impressed that I got a reply at all. I had written 6 or 7 senators about it, got 3 replies, a couple said that's just the way it is, some never replied. This guy seems to care enough to put forth an effort.

As in both

But that's cool he wrote back and actually did something. I think AJ posted this in another thread. They need to leave those pensions alone.