washingtonscene
phase out for taxpayers with adjusted Davis then asked the witnesses to priori-
gross incomes above $125,000 (single) or tize their most important goals.
$250,000 (married). Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) said he is com-
Incentives to hire unemployed veterans: mitted to manpower increases to ease de-
Businesses would get a tax credit of 40 ployment burdens as well as improvements
percent of the fi rst $6,000 in wages for to Guard and Reserve benefi ts, resistance
hiring unemployed veterans who are to health care fee increases, and eliminat-
within fi ve years of leaving active duty ing the Survivor Benefi t Plan (SBP)/De-
and who have drawn unemployment com- pendency and Indemnity Compensation
pensation for more than four weeks dur- offset. He insisted that, with the govern-
ing the year before getting hired. ment having approved more than a trillion
dollars of bailouts and economic recovery
MOAA Testifies
programs, the nation must fi nd a way to do
the right thing by military people.
Hill panel hears FY 2010 goals.
Strobridge and the other witnesses high-
lighted a range of priorities, emphasizing
manpower increases; wounded-warrior im-
O
n Feb. 25, MOAA Government provements; continued progress toward re-
Relations Director Col. Steve storing military pay comparability; resisting
Strobridge, USAF-Ret., and lead- unfair TRICARE fee increases; providing
ers from other associations presented Reserve retirement-age reduction credit for
their legislative priorities at a hearing all post-Sept. 11, 2001, service; eliminating
before the House Armed Services Military compensation penalties for disabled retir-
Personnel Subcommittee. ees and military widows; and improving
Subcommittee Chair Susan Davis (D- family-support programs.
Calif.) indicated the subcommittee is Testifying on behalf of MOAA and The
receptive to association input but voiced Military Coalition (TMC), Strobridge was
concern over growing pressures on the asked to comment on a range of issues.
defense budget and expressed under- Manpower levels: When asked about
standing that, “We can’t do everything.” proposals to cut back on planned increases
for the Army and Marine Corps in order
to fund weapons needs, Strobridge said,
“The programmed increases are essential
to provide even limited relief from the
deployment sacrifi ces being imposed on
these families. We’re all in awe that these
terrible conditions haven’t already caused
serious retention problems. It seems to us
that many in government are starting to
take their extreme sacrifi ces for granted.
We do that at our peril.”
Military pay raise: When asked if it still
was necessary to provide military people a
pay-raise increase, in light of the new call
MOAA Director of Government Rela- for shared sacrifi ce to ease the nation’s
tions and Cochair of The Military Coali- economic problems, Strobridge answered,
tion Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF-Ret., “Pay comparability with the private-sector
testifies at a hearing on Capitol Hill. is a fundamental underpinning of the all-
PHOTO: COL. MARV HARRIS, USAF-RET.
A P R I L 2 0 0 9 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R 3 5
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