In a dizzying legislative dance, the US Senate completed the vote to conduct a vote later on what the House has already voted on, as reported by CBS News on Dec. 17, 2013.
With a vote of 67-33 in favor of cloture, the Senate has elected to stop all debate on the $63 billion budget increase deal that will largely be financed on the backs of those retired from the Uniformed Services to include the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps) and the (Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHS).
Retired Uniformed Personnel ONLY…
As previously covered, a budget deal brokered by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) with Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) has ensured a mere handful of years worth of increased governmental spending would come at the expense of the annual COLA (Cost of Living Allowances) increases for those retired from the Uniformed Services.
Unfortunately for those in favor of an honest and objective press, CBS News wrongly printed that “the deal also requires new federal workers to contribute more to their pensions.”
In actuality, the deal is paid for not by a cut in future COLA increases of unionized civilian federal workers, nor from a cut in pay raises for congressmen and senators, and will not be financed by any decreases in foreign aid or presidential vacations.
Uniformed retirees and uniformed retirees only will shoulder the responsibility to pay for the billions of increased spending.
With today’s vote moving forward with 53 aye votes by every single Democrats and the two Independents (who caucus with the Democrats) to cut off debate and move to a final vote, 12 Republicans aligned themselves with those who openly care more about paying for expanding liberal entitlement programs while going back on the agreement the government made with those who served:
- Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee
- Roy Blunt of Missouri
- Saxby Chambliss of Georgia
- Susan Collins of Maine
- Jeff Flake of Arizona
- John McCain of Arizona
- Orrin Hatch of Utah
- John Hoeven of North Dakota
- Johnny Isakson of Georgia
- Ron Johnson of Wisconsin
- Lisa Murkowski of Arkansas
- Rob Portman of Ohio
