washingtonscene
Ryan said Pentagon leaders haven’t ful- filled their own responsibilities to control health care costs and urged legislators to hold DoD leaders’ feet to the fire on this. “A lot more could be done to save money than ask the very people who have pro- tected this nation for 10 years to do more in the way of premiums and pharmacy copayments,” Ryan said. He later added, “$500 million a year could be saved if they just consolidated the delivery of [military] health care.” He urged Congress to put pressure on DoD to “get with the 21st cen- tury on the delivery of health care before they ask the people to give more.” Regarding retirement, Ryan said it
would be “shameful” if military retire- ment changes could be decided by a base- realignment-and-closure-like commission instead of by “those we elect and appoint and ask to make good decisions for us.” He told the audience Congress needs to be the forum for proper deliberation on what retirement system our military needs. He expressed concern that bud- get analysts don’t take into account how troops and their families will react to changes. “Military people are not inani- mate objects like bases,” he said. Ryan’s comments were met with several rounds of applause. On employment issues, House Minor-
ity Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the unemployment rate for returning troops is, “Stunning … not just stunning, it is challenging, and we must act upon it.” Chamber of Commerce panelist Laura Dempsey noted the unemployment rate for military spouses is a staggering 26 percent. To combat this problem, the Chamber
of Commerce plans to hold 100 job fairs this year and 400 next year. Dempsey cited ongoing partnerships with MOAA and other organizations to address challenges for veterans and military spouses regarding licensing and training opportunities.
40 MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2012
The summit proved a productive forum for dialogue, and McMorris Rodgers promised legislators would consider the input for policy action. MOAA will con- tinue working with the caucus to that end.
Shutdown O
Averted Government funding is approved through September.
n Dec. 16, 2011, Hill leaders broke a deadlock and struck a deal on a $1 trillion omnibus appropria- tions bill (including defense funding), thus avoiding a federal government shutdown. With anxiety mounting as the latest tem-
porary funding extension was set to expire midnight Dec. 16, federal agencies had start- ed notifying employees about the possibility of a “shutdown” and its potential impact to their commute on Monday. The omnibus measure includes funding of the federal government for the remain- der of FY 2012 and removes the threat of a government shutdown until the start of the next fiscal year Oct. 1.
Suicide Prevention Plan
Needed MOAA calls for a unified plan.
A
t a Dec. 2, 2011, suicide preven- tion hearing before the House Vet- erans’ Affairs health subcommittee,
MOAA deputy director of Government Relations Cmdr. René Campos, USN-Ret., urged Congress to exercise its oversight au- thority to ensure the VA and DoD collabo- rate more effectively in preventing suicide.
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