On the recordDecember 17, 2013
I don't mean to prolong this, but I wish to ask this of the distinguished chairman. I think everyone should understand that although the Senator from Washington chairs the committee and was a member of the conference committee, this is not a report of the conference committee. The question I wish to ask is, Did the negotiators realize, when this COLA- less-1-percent provision was inserted in the conference committee, that it would mean $80,000 lifetime out of the retirement pay of the typical enlisted retiree? Did the conferees realize the magnitude of what they were agreeing to? Did the two negotiators agree to the magnitude of what they were sending to the House and Senate? The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does the Senator from Alabama yield to the Senator from Washington to answer that question?
