Steve Kagen: “as a cosponsor of this resolution, I rise in strong support of its passage. Next week, on Veterans Day, our Nation will…”

“as a cosponsor of this resolution, I rise in strong support of its passage. Next week, on Veterans Day, our Nation will pause to honor the many sacrifices made by veterans who have served in the defense of our country. And I appreciate the attention of our House leadership that they have given to this resolution and to our veterans who have served with incredible honor, with incredible skill and courage. H. Con. Res. 162 recognizes the value of their dedicated service and begins to address the economic sacrifice of veterans as they endure their economic pain. Because we rely on a voluntary citizen Army, we are now more indebted to those who have foregone higher pay elsewhere in civilian employment, especially as the value of our United States dollar continues to decline. As Congressman Murphy personally understands, our military has historically been underpaid. Service men and service women receive much less than they could earn in the private sector. And like my colleagues, I believe their pay must reflect their sacrifices. This resolution calls upon Congress to fairly increase basic pay by 3.5 percent. We all understand that we must begin to pay all of our Nation's debts, and this resolution is a good first step in doing so.”