Dick Durbin: “Retired MG Bob McIntosh of the Reserve Officers Association has testified on this same issue. He said he does not…”

“Retired MG Bob McIntosh of the Reserve Officers Association has testified on this same issue. He said he does not believe that people in the military sit around comparing pay stubs. But if they did, I am afraid the Senator's argument would lead us to conclude that we have to stop State and local governments from providing additional pay because that, too, is a differential being provided out of the largess and charity--charity is not the right word; it is really a payment that is made because of a sense of obligation to the family involved. But it is a payment that is made. In my State of Illinois and your State of Virginia and in the State of Alaska, you have the decision that, when your State employee is activated, the State is going to send them the pay differential. So you will have two sergeants: one in Virginia who might be receiving this pay differential, and one from the Federal Government who does not. So in my way of thinking, we should be encouraging all of these employers to stand by their people. We are more dependent on the Guard and Reserves now than ever in our history. We want to have good recruitment, good retention. I think if we have more employers standing behind those men and women, it is going to help us keep and attract the very best.”