Pelosi lectures Bush on military pay

The Great Decider, who has decided to oppose a pay-raise bill for U.S. military personnel (which we told you about here), has received a letter on the matter from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and some of her Democratic congressional colleagues.

It reads as follows:


Dear Mr. President,

We are writing to urge you to reconsider your objections to H.R. 1585, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.

Your office's recent Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 1585 raised several concerns regarding this bipartisan legislation that the House of Representatives passed yesterday by an overwhelming 397-27 margin.

In particular, the Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 1585 objected to sections 601 and 606, which raises military pay 0.5% above your proposal, and Section 644, which provides an extra $40 per month for surviving spouses of fallen members of our armed services.

Mr. President, you have consistently called on Congress and the American people to support our troops. Considering the sacrifices that our military families make, the Democratic proposal to provide the troops with the pay raise they deserve and an increase in benefits for the spouses they may leave behind is one small way that we can support our troops.

When it comes to supporting our troops, our actions must match our words. Please join us in supporting our troops by reconsidering both your veto threat to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, and your objections to an increase in military pay and survivor benefits for the brave men and women serving our country in the armed forces.

Respectfully,

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker

Steny Hoyer, Majority leader

James Clyburn, Majority whip

Rahm Emanuel, Chair, Democratic Caucus

Ike Skelton, Chair, House Armed Services Committee

Ellen Tauscher, Chair, Strategic Forces Subcommittee

Steve Israel, Member of Congress