washingtonscene
Quote of the Month “There’s nothing more important for our wounded warriors than planting in them the seeds of hope … [and fostering] post-trau- matic growth.” — Petty Officer 2nd
Class Derek McGinnis, USN-Ret.
MOAA Meets With House
Leaders End-of-year challenges are discussed.
M
OAA Government Relations Director Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF-Ret., was among military
and veteran association leaders invited to Capitol Hill Sept. 13 to discuss legisla- tive priorities with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and more than a dozen other senior House Democrats. Pelosi highlighted ongoing challenges
in resolving the sequestration issue that threatens an additional $1 trillion in across-the-board budget cuts over the next 10 years if Congress doesn’t approve alternative ways to cut the deficit by the end of the year. She acknowledged political consider-
ations have forced deferral on this and a number of other key legislative efforts into the post-election, lame-duck session of Congress, including the need to change the current law that’s scheduled to impose a 27-percent cut in Medicare and TRI- CARE payments to doctors in January. The assembled association representa-
tives detailed a variety of priorities re- maining to be addressed, including various wounded-warrior and veteran-hiring ini- tiatives, protecting VA funding, addressing the unfair deduction of VA survivor ben- efits from military Survivor Benefit Plan annuities, and more. Strobridge highlighted that, while Con-
gress has exempted VA health care from sequester-driven budget cuts, no such protection has been extended to military health care, at least for beneficiaries under age 65 and care delivered through mili- tary facilities. He supported protection of
38 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2012
VA care but said if we’re going to protect health care for veterans who served as little as one tour of duty in uniform, those who sacrifice for decades deserve no less. He also praised House Republicans and Democrats alike for including caps on TRICARE pharmacy copayment increases in the House-passed version of the FY 2013 Defense Authorization Bill. He urged House leaders to ensure those caps are retained in negotiations with the Senate during the lame-duck session.
Congress’ Last B
Preelection Gasp Lawmakers work to move “must pass” legislation.
efore the House recessed in late September, senators and rep- resentatives scrambled with vary-
ing degrees of success to get some final legislating done. Keeping the government running: House and Senate leaders agreed on a six-month continuing resolution (H.J. Res. 117) to keep the government funded until April 1, 2013. Both chambers approved it just be- fore recessing for the election. FY 2013 Defense Authorization Bill:
The House passed this key bill (including important caps on TRICARE pharmacy copayment hikes) in May, but the Senate won’t act on it until after the election. In early September, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Sen. Carl Levin (D- Mich.) said the number of amendments will have to be limited, given the short time the Senate will have to pass it. That could be bad news for MOAA-supported amendments on concurrent receipt, the Survivor Benefit Plan, and more. Veterans Job Corps Bill: Chances for legislation to enhance veteran hiring
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