[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 11986-11987]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THE MILITARY PAY ACT OF 2011

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, I rise today to speak about the 
Military Pay Act of 2011. We were on the brink of closing down 
government earlier this year, this spring, and we came to a responsible 
conclusion and continued our government. We were also able to continue 
the tax cuts that have helped spur our economy as best they could in 
light of the spending and the debt that has been accumulated. Now we 
are looking at yet another potential government shutdown. It is so 
important that we make priorities.
  We know what is happening right now in Washington. Everyone is 
focused on whether there is going to be an agreement to lift the debt 
ceiling because if there is not, then we have the potential for 
default, depending on the decision of what gets paid first. We do have 
revenue coming in that can be spent even if the debt ceiling is not 
lifted. However, the President can choose the priorities. What I am 
asking we do today is set some of those priorities. What I am asking is 
we take our military personnel out of any limbo. Let's go back to what 
we did earlier this year when we were in the continuing resolution 
debate which also had the potential for shutting down government. When 
that happened in April, I joined with my colleague on the House side, 
Representative Louie Gohmert. We both introduced a bill, the Ensuring 
Pay for Our Military Act, Senate bill 724. We have 80 cosponsors of 
that legislation. We have 80 out of 100 in the Senate who stepped up to 
the plate and said: Yes, we need to take care of our military even if 
government shuts down. That was April. Since then, I have introduced a 
new bill. The new bill is Senate bill 1365, the Protecting Military Pay 
Act of 2011. That one sets two priorities. It sets paying our debt, the 
interest on our debt and our military. Those are the two priorities. 
Social Security is in a different account, and it will automatically be 
paid from that account. I actually am cosponsoring another bill that is 
also cosponsored by many Senators and many House Members that would 
require the President pay our debt, interest on our debt, our active-
duty military and also Social Security recipients even though that 
would automatically happen. The legislation I introduced in April that 
would take care of our active-duty military is supported by the 
Military Officers Association of America; the AMVETS, the American 
Veterans; and the National Military Family Association. The new bill I 
have introduced that has the debt to be paid off along with our 
military sets the priorities, and here is what it does: It says if we 
have any kind of government shutdown or we have a situation where we do 
not lift the debt ceiling and, therefore, we have to prioritize our 
spending according to the revenue that is coming in, there are two 
things that will be done: We want to pass the law so there can be no 
discretion that you will pay the debts and you will pay the military. 
You will pay the active-duty military. That is what the bill does 
simply and clearly.
  Here is the situation: If the debt ceiling is reached, $29 billion 
would be set aside for August to the payment of our debts, $2.9 billion 
would be added to that for active-duty military pay. So you are 
allocating out of the billions that would be coming in in August, you 
would allocate those as the first two priorities and Social Security 
would be paid out of the Social Security fund. I am going to ask our 
majority leader to let these bills come up--at least one of them that 
says we will pay the debt, we will pay our military, and we know that 
Social Security will be paid.
  It is tremendously damaging for our military to be getting the news 
in Afghanistan and Iraq of all the upheaval in Washington because they 
are getting the news, of course. For them to worry: Oh, my gosh, what 
happens August 2 if my paycheck isn't there for my wife or my husband 
to be able to use that to pay the mortgage or the basic expenses? I 
want to put it in perspective. We have people in the military with 
boots on the ground by the thousands who are making under $20,000 a 
year. Those are people who are living paycheck to paycheck. They don't 
have the luxury of having a big savings account with that kind of 
income, especially if they have children. My goodness, they are making 
under $18,000 a

[[Page 11987]]

year, some of these younger junior members of the enlisted corps, so I 
don't think we ought to make them worry for 10 seconds if they can pay 
their basic bills for their housing and the food for their families.
  In my State of Texas there are 28,000 brave men and women deployed in 
the support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are more than 
97,000 servicemembers deployed who are married and have children 
waiting for them at home. There are 145,000 troops deployed in Iraq and 
Afghanistan who are working long hours every day in the desert heat to 
protect our freedom, to make sure we are doing everything we can to 
root out the terrorists who have attacked America. These men and women 
all raised their right hand and volunteered to go to defend this 
Nation. The very least we can do while we are in this kind of budget 
negotiation, which is making a lot of people nervous--I have faith that 
we are going to do the right thing in the end, but it is not clear yet 
and we are a week away. I don't think we ought to make these people 
think about whether it is going to happen and if there is going to be a 
delay in a paycheck.
  I hope we will be able to bring this bill up. I can guarantee if the 
majority leader will bring up my bill, it will pass. It has 80 
cosponsors. The new bill is the same thing except it makes the debt 
payment the priority, which you would hope would not have to be done, 
but nevertheless let's assure that our debtors know we are going to pay 
the interest on the debt, and our military--who are in harm's way right 
now--will not worry about their family having the paycheck they need.
  We have about a week. All of us had hoped it wouldn't take this long, 
but we have our different views, there is no question about it. I am 
one who believes we should raise the debt ceiling only with reforms 
that will assure the markets not just for the next week or the next 6 
months, but for the long term, that not only are we going to pay our 
debts but we are going to bring down the cost of government so we will 
not have to raise the debt limit again.
  We must take the reform actions we can take right now. We can fix 
Social Security for 75 years with relatively little cuts in increases 
with Social Security COLAs and with a trajectory that will put us on an 
actuarial table for an age that has certainly changed since Social 
Security passed. Very little change. It wouldn't affect anyone who is 
in the upper area of going into Social Security. The bill I have 
introduced wouldn't affect anyone age 58 and above or 55 and above. We 
can do the big things that will show our debtors and the rest of the 
world we can live within our means and our democracy can work to do the 
things that will make us good not for the next week, not for the next 6 
months, but for our children and grandchildren. That is what we ought 
to be doing right now, and I have faith. We are going to have to do 
something temporary for the next few months while we work out the 
details, but I know if we get together, we can do this. I don't want 
our military to have to worry about it for 1 week or 3 months or 6 
months because they deserve better.
  Thank you, Madam President.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. THUNE. Madam President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Dakota.

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