WASHINGTON – Congress is revisiting its decision to cut annual cost-of living adjustments to pensions for most working-age military retirees after talk of the cuts drew outrage from veterans groups and others.
The budget agreement approved this month reduced those adjustments by 1 percent annually once a service member retires until that retiree reaches age 62.
Lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee, back from a week-long break in their home states, said they’re interested in repealing the COLA change that is scheduled to take effect Dec. 1, 2015. But Pentagon officials asked them to hold off on making any more changes until a commission completes an extensive review of compensation and retirement benefits. That report is due in February 2015.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said there is broad agreement to act more quickly.
“This is a wrong that should be fixed,” Wicker said. “It doesn’t make any sense if we’re all in agreement on this to wait, unless you want to hold out the possibility that we’ll stick with it.”