Wilson Opening Statement for Hearing on Views of Military Advocacy and Beneficiary Groups

Feb 24, 2009
Press Release

Contact: Josh Holly; 202.226.3988 

Wilson Opening Statement for Hearing on Views of Military Advocacy and Beneficiary Groups

 Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, today released the following prepared remarks for the subcommittee’s hearing to receive views and legislative suggestions from military advocacy and beneficiary groups: 

“Thank you, Mrs. Davis, for holding this hearing.  And thank you to each member of today’s panel.  I truly appreciate your willingness to share your views on important issues spanning the full breadth of the subcommittee’s jurisdiction.  This testimony will surely help to shape our legislative and funding priorities, as we strive to improve the military personnel, health care, and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) systems of the Department of Defense. 

“I am especially grateful that we will hear today from Ms. Margaret McCloud, a Gold Star Wife whose husband, Lieutenant Colonel Trane McCloud, was killed in action in Iraq.  Trane was an active duty Marine and served as my Defense Legislative Fellow in 2003.   

“I would also like to thank Mrs. Davis for agreeing to my request that the panel include witnesses to address National Guard and reserve issues. 

“Madam Chair, based on my review of the testimony submitted to us, the recommendations made by the various groups fall into two broad categories:  1) those that are strictly policy issues that require little or no additional funding; and, 2) those legislative changes that would require additional discretionary or mandatory spending.  

“While fiscally more difficult, many of the proposals that will make an immediate and positive impact on our service members and their families fall into the latter category.  Some examples include:  an annual pay raise of one half of one percent above the Employment Cost Index (ECI), improving reserve component retirement compensation, eliminating concurrent receipt and Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)-Dependent Indemnity Compensation (DIC) offsets, and prohibiting substantial increases in health care cost sharing. 

“It has been said that a time was coming when we might not be able to come up with the offsets for these proposals.  However, in today’s environment, when the Congress and the President have committed to spending trillions of dollars – that is thousands of billions – to rescue the economy, it’s my view that the Congress can find the additional funding required to protect the men and women, and their families, who make incredible daily sacrifice in service to our nation.

 

“I would urge that the subcommittee provide recommendations for additional mandatory spending headroom to Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McHugh for inclusion in the HASC’s Views and Estimates letter.  Madam Chair, I would welcome the opportunity to work with you in that effort. 

“Again, I thank you for holding this hearing and look forward to the testimony of our witnesses.”