Army Times: Bush White House opposes 3.5% pay raise for troops

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Rick Maze, staff writer for the Army Times reports that the Bush White House opposes a 3.5% pay increase favored by Democrats in Congress that would, over the next five years, bring troop salaries closer to pay received in the civilian sector:

The Bush administration had asked for a 3 percent military raise for Jan. 1, 2008, enough to match last year’s average pay increase in the private sector. The House Armed Services Committee recommends a 3.5 percent pay increase for 2008, and increases in 2009 through 2012 that also are 0.5 percentage point greater than private-sector pay raises.

The slightly bigger military raises are intended to reduce the gap between military and civilian pay that stands at about 3.9 percent today. Under the bill, HR 1585, the pay gap would be reduced to 1.4 percent after the Jan. 1, 2012, pay increase.

Bush budget officials said the administration “strongly opposes” both the 3.5 percent raise for 2008 and the follow-on increases, calling extra pay increases “unnecessary.”


Meanwhile, defense contractors, oil companies and on the ground contractors in Iraq have all been paid quite handsomely under Bush Administration policy.

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N said…
Dude, why are we even paying our troops in the first place? They shouldn't be asking for a pay raise! They're volunteers! I guess our troops just don't support our troops!
4:55 PM
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