NewsBytes September 11, 2020
In this issue:
House Urged to Pass Veterans Mental Health Bill
ANC Re-opens to the Public
Memorandum on Deferring Payroll Tax
9-11 Remembered
Senators Urge House to Pass FRA-Supported Veterans Mental Health Bill
Senators Jerry Moran (Kan.) and Jon Tester (Mont.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) respectively, as well as 33 of their Senate colleagues have dispatched a letter to House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) to quickly bring the FRA-supported, “Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act” (S.785) to the floor for immediate passage. The Senate unanimously passed this legislation on August 5.
Other Senators who signed the letter include: Mike Crapo (Idaho), Rob Portman (Ohio), Cory Booker (N.J.), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Mike Bennet (Colo.), Susan Collins (Maine), Joe Manchin (W.V.), Mike Rounds (S.D.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), John Cornyn (Texas), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Mark Warner (Va.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Bob Casey (Pa.), Steve Daines (Mont.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), John Boozman (Ark.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Roger Wicker (Miss.), Chris Coons (Del.), Martha McSally (Ariz.), Jack Reed (R.I.), John Hoeven (N.D), Tim Kaine (Va.), Jim Risch (Idaho), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Cory Gardner (Colo.), Doug Jones (Ala.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Tina Smith (Minn.).
“The social isolation and increased anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated many of the issues our veterans face,” the Senators wrote “Our nation’s veterans and their families are waiting on Congress to take action to deliver these desperately needed resources. We must act now to provide this vital assistance to Americans who have sacrificed so much for our country and who deserve the best our nation has to offer. As such, we are seeking immediate passage of S.785 when the U.S. House of Representatives reconvenes in September.”
Members can go to the FRA Action Center to weigh in on this.
ANC Re-Opens to the Public
Effective Sept. 9, 2020, Arlington National Cemetery (ANC), located in Arlington, Virginia, re-opened to the public who want to visit graves sites. The cemetery closed in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic. For six months, only funeral attendees and family pass holders were allowed entry. Now, the cemetery will be open to the public every day from 0800 to noon. Points of interest inside the cemetery will remain closed, including the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, the John F. Kennedy gravesite, the amphitheater, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and exhibits inside the welcome center.
“As conditions in the National Capital Region have continued to improve, our goal is to provide increased access for the public to visit a loved one’s gravesite,” said Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of the cemetery. “We hope this limited reopening will better accommodate our visitors.” The announcement indicates that, members of the public will be screened outside the ANC Welcome Center before entering the cemetery. Masks will be required at all times. The ANC Superintendent, Charles “Ray” Alexander Jr., said cemetery staff was preparing for a full opening in the “near future.”
Memorandum on Deferring Payroll Tax Obligations Due to COVID-19
President Donald Trump issued a memorandum coupled with guidance of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to temporarily defer Social Security Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) payroll taxes as part of COVID-19 financial relief efforts. According to Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), the deferral goes into effect for the military starting on the mid-month’s pay in September and on September 12th for civilian federal employees. The 6.2 percent OASDI tax withholding will be deferred if the total monthly basic pay rate is less than $8,666.66, for the military and less than $4,000 for federal civilian employees. The temporary deferral will not affect monthly income equal to or greater than aforementioned basic pay rates.
For federal employees, there is no option to opt-out of the deferral if the basic pay falls within the stated limits. The deferral is optional for non-federal employers. According to the IRS guidance, collection of the deferred taxes will be taken from the wages between January 1 and April 30, 2021, for both military members and federal civilian employees. Additional information on the collection process will be provided in the future by DFAS. The memorandum tasks the Secretary of the Treasury to explore avenues, including legislation, to eliminate the obligation to pay back the taxes deferred. It is important to note, only Congress has the authority to forgive taxes.
9-11 Remembered
This week marks 19 years since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 destroyed New York City’s Twin Towers and a portion of the Pentagon, killing 3,000 Americans. 9/11 is the single deadliest terrorist attack in human history. Four passenger airliners were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists. Two of the aircraft crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. A third aircraft crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane was initially flown toward Washington, DC, but crashed into a field in Stoney Creek Township, Pennsylvania, after passengers thwarted the hijackers.
The final report from the 9/11 Commission determined that Osama Bin Laden, and others, orchestrated the attacks and initially denied involvement but later recanted his false statements. After a 10-year manhunt, Osama bin Laden was killed by American special forces in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 1, 2011.
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