Tom Lantos: “when a country is at war, rule number one is that the sacrifice must be shared. Congress must support our citizen…”

“when a country is at war, rule number one is that the sacrifice must be shared. Congress must support our citizen soldiers who answer the call of duty, but who face ongoing financial obligations in their civilian lives. Our Reserves and our National Guard are doing a superb job, but thousands of them are suffering significant hardships due to the discrepancy between their civilian and military pay. Abandoning them financially is unacceptable. Yet, for the second time in 2 years, the Committee on Rules has rejected my amendment which would have immediately eliminated the pay gap for Federal employees and provided significant incentive for State and municipal governments to do the same. Instead of delaying financial assistance for 1 year, as the bill we are considering proposes, my amendment would have wiped out the pay gap for Reservists and National Guardsmen immediately. Mr. Speaker, for the soldiers who suffer from the pay gap, the proposal in the legislation we are considering is too little and too late. In a time of war, it is unconscionable to impose all of the sacrifice on one segment of society. Yet, the administration and the Republicans in this House continue to back massive tax cuts for the wealthiest, placing financial burdens on other groups, including the Reservists and members of the National Guard who are already sacrificing so much for all of us.”