Political Quotes

“Madam President, I am one of the sponsors of the bill pending before the Senate at this moment. As we know, the bill is about as simple as we can get around this place: a one-sentence measure to restore the fairness to America's military retirees. The bill repeals the COLA cut Congress gave to working-age military retirees when we passed the budget just before Christmas. The budget bill had a lot of good provisions and passed with large bipartisan support on both sides of the Capitol. It avoided another government shutdown. Alaska's delegation was unified in passing the budget bill. It prevented another round of major cuts to Defense Department and other agencies. It showed the American people that Republicans and Democrats can work together. But it wasn't much of a Christmas present for our veterans--the brave Americans who made a career out of serving their country and, in many cases, putting their lives on the line. That budget deal says working-age military retirees will see their pension COLA adjustments reduced by 1 percent annually. For many this is a hit totaling tens of thousands of dollars over years. For some the total reduction over their lifetime is upwards of $80,000. It is completely unacceptable. This is why many of us only supported the budget deal because we had already committed to rolling back the COLA cut once the deal was completed. The bill before us right now will take care of the problem once and for all.…”