Sen. Roger Wicker: I’m Voting Against the Budget Deal Since it Hurts our Veterans

WICKER: “Well I will vote no, and for the very same reason Senator Ayotte just outlined. I think when we did the -- when we do a budget we know there's got to be some pain. It's a little give-and-take everywhere. And so I expected the fee to go up, an assessment, maybe a little more withholding. I never dreamed though that we would take military retirees, who have already done their part of the bargain, who already served their 20 years, and tell them that retroactively we're going to cut their cost of living adjustment back by one percent. I just can't imagine that we're doing this to the people who've stepped forward to serve our country with a military career and we're -- it amounts to $83,000 lifetime for the average enlisted retiree. Over $120,000 lifetime for the average officer. A huge burden when we're supposed to be sort of sharing the sacrifice. It hits the military retirees so hard.”