January 24, 2014

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) indicated he plans to bring a bill to the Senate floor as soon as possible that includes a full repeal of the military retired pay COLA cuts established in the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2013.   

The bill (S. 1950) combines Senate omnibus veterans’ benefits bills with a full repeal of the COLA cuts. An offset to pay for the fix has not yet been identified.  

The House and Senate return to Washington next week. Many members on both sides of the aisle are lining up to support COLA cut repeal legislation.                                                                                                                                          

Since the enactment of the BBA in late December more than 250 legislators have signed on to cosponsor repeal legislation. Half of all senators (50) and more than 200 representatives have announced support.   

Support in the Senate is evenly distributed with 24 Republicans, 24 Democrats, and 2 Independents.  

In the House, 76 Democrats and 126 Republicans support repeal proposals.  

However, there is little consensus on how, or whether, to pay for repeal.   

All the proposals fully repeal the COLA cuts, but examples of how to pay for it range from closing tax loop holes for certain corporations to cutting foreign aid to Egypt and Pakistan. Other plans simply add to the deficit.  

MOAA is calling on legislators to work together to find a bipartisan solution to the funding dilemma, and immediately repeal the COLA cuts.