NewsBytes February 10, 2023
In this issue:
Support Concurrent Receipt Legislation
State of the Union Address
Debt Ceiling Issue Returns
Last Call for FRA 2023 Benefits Survey
Support Major Richard Star Concurrent Receipt Legislation
Legislation that would provide concurrent receipt for servicemembers unable to complete 20 years of service due to combat-related injuries (H.R.1282, S.344) will soon be re-introduced. More than two-thirds of Congress co-sponsored the Major Richard Star Act during the previous session of Congress (2021-2022). Legislators are beginning to understand that reducing a retiree’s retired pay because they are disabled is an injustice. Please use the FRA Action Center online, to ask your legislators to co-sponsor this legislation today!
State of the Union Address
President Joe Biden provided his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. The president noted that COVID-19 no longer controls our lives. He highlighted his legislative achievements, including signing into law the comprehensive veteran’s toxic exposure legislature in August of 2022. He also emphasized his administration’s efforts to combat veteran suicide and homelessness. In the address to Congress, he urged Congress to work in a bi-partisan effort to help veterans, fight the opioid epidemic, reduce mental illness, and end cancer. Biden received catcalls from Republicans when he claimed they supported cuts to Medicare and Social Security. He frequently stated he needs to “finish the job,” a hint that he plans to run for re-election in 2024.
Debt Ceiling Issue Returns
The suspension of the U.S. government debt limit ended. The Treasury Department will go to extraordinary measures to pay the government’s expenses while lawmakers decide how to address extending the cap. Speaker Kevin McCarthy is pushing for a fast pace on debt-limit negotiations with President Joe Biden, seeking another meeting in the near future, and aiming for a deal well before this summer’s deadline.
The Speaker met with President Biden this past Wednesday and Thursday morning, saying afterward that he expected a follow-up call from the president within a few days to set up another meeting. He declined to provide details on Republicans’ position, other than to say the GOP would not support a debt-limit deal without finding ways to reduce spending. McCarthy said he doesn’t want to wait until anytime close to the deadline to raise or suspend the debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the “X date” could be as soon as early as June.
Congress created the debt ceiling in 1917 to give the government greater borrowing flexibility and must approve each increase to ensure that the United States meets its debt obligations and avoids a catastrophic default. The system, in theory, is meant to control the rise in the nation's debt but has not been an effective tool in recent decades. The Treasury Department can take steps to alter the government’s cash flow and stay below the ceiling, to keep government operating for a while.
Last Call for FRA 2023 Survey on Military, Veterans Benefits
As part of its mission to bring the enlisted concerns to Capitol Hill, the FRA is conducting an online survey to determine which military and veteran benefits are most important to active duty and Reserve personnel, retirees, veterans and their families. The brief survey asks current and former members of the uniformed services, as well as their spouses, to rate a variety of benefits and quality-of-life programs associated with their service to our nation.
The FRA is asking all current and former military personnel and their spouses to share their opinions about the programs they value most. Survey responses and comments from participants provide the legislative team important reference information when we testify before Congress or one-on-one meetings with lawmakers and their staff. The FRA also shares the survey results with elected officials on Capitol Hill, key committee staff, and leaders within the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs — ensuring these crucial decision-makers understand the enlisted sea service perspective. The survey is available online.
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