Legislation Update

Fiscal 2007 Emergency Supplemental Bill

The House of Representatives voted 221-205 on a new fiscal 2007 supplemental spending bill that would immediately provide $42.7 billion for ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but requires a second vote in July before the remaining $52.8 billion would be released. The release of those funds would depend on reports from the Administration to Congress on the Iraqi government’s progress in meeting certain political, economic and security benchmarks.

Initially, President Bush said that he would veto the House’s version of the bill because it continued “to include many of the same unacceptable provisions” as the previous legislation. Now, however, he has said that he would accept benchmarks in a bill. "One message I have heard from people from both parties is that the idea of benchmarks makes sense," President Bush said after meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "And I agree. It makes sense to have benchmarks as a part of our discussion on how to go forward. And so I've empowered [Joshua B. Bolten, White House chief of staff] to find common ground on benchmarks. And he will continue to have dialogue with both Republicans and Democrats."

The supplemental legislation now moves to the Senate where Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has yet to divulge his approach. He asserted last week that "there is not a thing off the table" and cited "150 scenarios" currently making the rounds among lawmakers. He did note that Senate Democrats must work with Republicans on a compromise because the Senate must have at least 60 votes to pass legislation while the House only needs a simple majority.

However this plays out, time has run out!

Speaking to attendees, including key congressional staff members, at AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare Breakfast last week, Acting Secretary of the Army Pete Geren said that the Army “needs a predictable flow of resources” and urged Congress to act quickly on the President’s supplemental spending request. “I believe Congress fully understands the consequences.”

He added, “The impact of delay of the FY ’07 supplemental has caused serious negative impacts” on the Army. He said the service’s priority will be to the “148,000 in the field” fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“The rest of the Army is hurting” and the delay is “impacting soldiers across the force …impacting their families” and “impacts BRAC. We need supplemental funds and we need them now.”

Fiscal 2008 Defense Authorization Bill

The House Armed Services Committee approved the $503.8 billion defense authorization bill last week. The full House will take up the bill this week.

As reported last week in this Newsletter, the House version contains provisions that would:

--Increase the Army’s end strength to 525,400;

-- Provide a 3.5 percent pay raise for the military;

-- Prohibit fee increases in the TRICARE Program and the TRICARE pharmacy program for another year;

-- Provide a special $40 monthly “military survivor indemnity allowance” to survivors whose SBP annuities are reduced by VA survivor benefits, beginning on October 1, 2008;

--Expand combat-related special compensation eligibility for Chapter 61 (disability) retirees with at least 15 but less than 20 years of service who have a combat-related disability rating of at least 60 percent; and,

-- Transfer the Reserve Montgomery GI Bill program from the Department of Defense to the Department of Veteran Affairs to help ensure greater equity in benefits for reserve component members.

It also contains provisions that address the Army’s well-publicized readiness needs such as an authorization for $1 billion for the Strategic Readiness Fund; $1 billion for National Guard Equipment; a requirement that the Department of Defense devise a plan on the reconstitution of prepositioned equipment stocks, and a proposal to establish a Defense Readiness Production Board.

The Board would be composed of 16 members chosen from government civilians and military officials and would draw upon expertise from throughout the Department of Defense. It also would create a Defense Production Industry Advisory Council to tap into a broad range of industry expertise.

The Board’s three main functions would be to:

--Designate critical readiness requirements by identifying where equipment and supplies shortfalls are expected to persist for two or more years.

--Monitor and assess industrial capacity by looking across the Department of Defense, the defense industrial base and non-traditional suppliers to determine where capacity could be used more efficiently and to think creatively about how to leverage that capacity to fill identified shortfalls.

--Serve as the focal point for Congress and the Secretary of Defense on readiness issues through regular reporting requirements.

The Industry Advisory Council would consist of 12 members from American industry who will advise the Board on how best to mobilize the industrial base.


Pay Parity for Civilians?

After the House Armed Services Committee approved a 3.5 percent increase for the military, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., announced that he will urge other House members to provide an equal pay increase to civil service employees.

“The 3.5 percent pay adjustment should also extend to federal civilian employees," Rep. Hoyer said in a statement. "Civilian employees perform a vital role in our national security" and, he added, "they too deserve a fair pay adjustment."

Rep. Thomas M. Davis, R-Va., has urged the House Appropriations Committee to maintain parity in pay raises for the civil service and the military and Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R- Va., a member of the Appropriations Committee, has also reiterated his support of pay parity.

The Committee’s recommendation is higher than the 3 percent raise proposed by President Bush in his budget. His raise would cover civil service and military personnel.


AUSA Staff Members Attend the 2007 Reserve Component Senior Enlisted Advisor Roundtable

Last Thursday, AUSA Director of Government Affairs, Bill Loper and Isabelle Slifer and Leroy Bussells of AUSA Regional Activities attended the 2007 Reserve Component Senior Enlisted Advisor Roundtable discussion and working lunch. The annual event is hosted by the Guard/Reserve Committee of the Military Coalition and serves as a way to give the member associations a better understanding of the issues and concerns of currently serving enlisted members of the uniformed services.

With over 600,000 Reserve Component members activated since September 11, 2001 and over 75,000 currently mobilized for federal duty and 30,000 mobilized for state duty, the issues are many and varied. The discussion covered a wide range of issues including appropriate compensation for drills in locations more than 50 miles from RC members homes, appropriate reenlistment bonuses, and health care both pre- and post-mobilization. The group discussed ways to support those goals either with current legislation or legislation to be introduced in the future.

Question of the Week
Before the United States decided to increase its involvement in the Vietnam War, what was the primary nation opposing the activities of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam?(Click on link for answer)

Answer -
Before the United States decided to increase its involvement in the Vietnam War, France waged a seven year war (1946 to 1954) against Ho Chi Minh and his Vietnamese resistance movement. This conflict (sometimes called the First Indochina War) came about because the Vietnamese had tired of French rule, but the French refused to give up their colonies in Indochina. Although the United States remained neutral at first, the Cold War soon began to intensify and U.S. politicians became more and more anxious to halt the spread of communism. At first, President Truman authorized covert support for the French, but by 1950 the U.S. was openly providing financial support for the French war effort. By 1954, the French had been badly defeated and Vietnam was divided into North and South, with the northern half going to Ho Chi Minh who was not satisfied with this partial victory and remained determined to unite North and South Vietnam under communist rule. From that point forward, U.S. involvement would continue to grow until hostilities eventually resumed.

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