Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Votes to Restore Military COLA Benefit Cuts

Press Release

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) today voted to restore the damaging cuts to Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) for retired members of the Armed Services under age 62. The restoration of benefits will not apply to servicemembers who joined the armed forces after January 1, 2014.

"Cutting our military retirees' earned benefits breaks a promise to those men and women who have raised their hands to serve," said Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. "The bill today will restore those cuts for our military retirees. However, I am deeply disappointed that the cuts were replaced with an extension of harmful sequester cuts on Medicare. This is not the kind of long-term solution that our country needs. It disregards more serious proposals, like the Military Retirement Restoration Act that I co-sponsored, which completely replaces the COLA cuts by closing tax loopholes for businesses that avoid paying taxes by locating their operations overseas.

"It is crucial that the U.S. Senate make improvements to this legislation by ending these arbitrary, across-the board cuts that are pitting the earned benefits of our veterans against the health needs of our kupuna."

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