Obama is at it again. On Friday, he bypassed Congress and waived restrictions in order to give $148 million to the Palestinian Authority, claiming it was in the “national security interests” of the United States to do so. But he threatened to veto the 2014 Defense Appropriations bill, upset that Congress wants to give troops a 1.8 percent pay raise. Obama only wants to give troops a one percent raise. If he gets his way, it would be the first raise in over a decade that failed to keep pace with the private sector. But that’s not all. He also wants retirees to pay more for their own health care. The Investor’s Business Daily reported: As the Navy Times reports, the president’s proposal includes a freeze for 2014 for Medicare-eligible retirees in the Tricare for Life program; but there would be rapid increases over the following years, with annual hikes of $150 in maximum fees for most retirees and $200 for flag officers. For flag and general officers, annual enrollment fees for family coverage would be $900 in 2014, then more than double to $1,840 in 2018. What does this mean for the average soldier, sailor, airman or Marine? Consider this: “The current deductible is $150 for individuals and $300 for families. In 2014, deductibles would jump to $160 for individuals and $320 for families, then would rise another $40 for individuals and $80 for families in 2015,” the IBD added. That may not sound like much until one takes a look at what troops actually make. A Marine Staff Sergeant with over 18 years of service makes $3,533 every month. That doesn’t include all the possible allowances for housing and food, as well as incentive pay for hostile fire and dangerous duties he or she could get. A one percent raise would increase the Staff Sergeant’s pay by a whopping $35.33. If Obama gets his way, our Staff Sergeant could actually end up losing money every month. The impact of Obama’s proposals would be devastating to the nation’s security. One GOP congressional aide told the Washington Free Beacon Obama is “forcing nearly 200,000 troops out of uniform” through sequestration. “For years, the Obama administration has swollen the federal workforce and asked the military to pay for it,” the aide said. “Now he’s cutting the pay of those lucky enough to survive.” This isn’t the first time Obama has threatened to veto defense funding over medical costs. He tried this last year as well, demanding military service members pay more for health care. In February 2012, the administration said it planned to cut health benefits for active duty and retired military personnel and their families while not touching the benefits enjoyed by unionized civilian defense workers. It is also not the first time Obama has bypassed Congress on aid to the Palestinians. The Washington Times said that Obama directed about $500 million in aid to the Palestinians, bypassing congressional restrictions in March. At the time, Secretary of State John Kerry said he wanted to give them another $200 million. In late April, Obama did another end-run around Congress and ordered $192 million in aid to the Palestinians. There’s a reason Congress placed restrictions on aid to the Palestinian Authority. The Times of Israel said the restrictions were put in place after Mahmoud Abbas “defied US pressure and sought to attain UN endorsement of Palestinian statehood last September.” There’s also another reason. In a word, Hamas. According to Section 3 of the Palestinian Accountability Act, “no funds available to any United States Government department or agency … may be obligated or expended with respect to providing funds to the Palestinian Authority.” But that doesn’t matter to the administration, who has no problems with the president using our troops as props for photo ops, or eye candy for Michelle’s cameo appearances at the Oscars. It really isn’t surprising, considering that Obama thinks the troops serve on his behalf. The situation, in a nutshell, is this: Millions for the Palestinians, and by extension, the terror group Hamas; A sharp stick in the eye for those who put their lives on the line to keep this country safe and free. It’s almost enough to make one wonder which side this guy’s really on.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 15:45:15 +0000
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