There is no better sign of the ailing U.S. economy and the squeeze on federal spending than the 1.4 percent military pay raise for 2011 being proposed by the Obama administration.
It’s the smallest requested raise since 1993, when President Clinton unsuccessfully proposed a one-year government pay freeze. And if it is approved — and there are strong indications Congress could go along — it would be the smallest military raise since 1962.
It’s the smallest requested raise since 1993, when President Clinton unsuccessfully proposed a one-year government pay freeze. And if it is approved — and there are strong indications Congress could go along — it would be the smallest military raise since 1962.
Steve Strobridge of the Military Officers Association of America, a longtime advocate for bigger military raises, said that with all the wartime stress still being placed on the force, some troops might consider a 1.4 percent raise “a little insulting.”
He noted that for 11 years, military pay raises have been half a percentage point higher than average private-sector pay hikes under a bipartisan congressional initiative to close a perceived “pay gap” that peaked at 13.5 percent in 1999.
He noted that for 11 years, military pay raises have been half a percentage point higher than average private-sector pay hikes under a bipartisan congressional initiative to close a perceived “pay gap” that peaked at 13.5 percent in 1999.
A 1.4 percent raise would be just enough to keep pace with the rising costs of goods and services, according to a Jan. 27 long-range federal budget outlook from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that projects a 1.6 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index this year.
That forecast is slightly good news for military retirees, who got no cost-of-living adjustment in retired pay for 2010 because the CPI actually declined during the economic crunch.
That forecast is slightly good news for military retirees, who got no cost-of-living adjustment in retired pay for 2010 because the CPI actually declined during the economic crunch.
More from The Army Times here.
2011 Military Pay Chart here.
1 comment:
Our government would rather give a tax break to the wealthy, instead of taking of the very people who are fighting to keep America safe and their families. This is PITIFUL.
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