Bastards--Shutdown Theater Holding Up Death Benefits To Families Of The Fallen

When members of the US Armed Forces are killed their families receive a $100,000 "Death Gratuity". This benefit is supposed to be paid within days of the service members death.

Just before the shutdown went into effect the House and Senate passed and Obama signed a bill ensuring that members of the military would be paid and that benefits of all sorts would continue to be honored.

Tragically, 5 US service members were killed in Afghanistan last week. The Department of Defense tweeted(!) that because of the shutdown their families couldn't receive their payment.

Republican House members are outraged that not only is Obama refusing to pay the authorized benefit but won't answer any questions about it from Congress.

The GOP is going to pass another bill specifically designed to force the administration to pay the families.

Republican aides in Congress said that they were drafting legislation to restore the death gratuity and that it could be put to a vote as early as Wednesday. The aides also said they believed that last week's law had covered the payment.

"We gave broad authority to the Department of Defense to pay all kinds of bills, including this," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Tuesday afternoon. "And frankly, I think it's disgraceful that they're withholding these benefits. But again, tomorrow, the House is going to act specifically on this, and I hope the president will sign it."

But for now, the $100,000 government payment is being withheld for relatives of the five killed over the weekend in Afghanistan — four from the Army and one from the Marines.

I miss Jimmy Carter. Yeah he was awful but at least you never got the sense he was out and out anti-American. I simply can't say the same about Obama and his minions.

Here's the wording of the military pay law Congress passed prior to the shutdown.

(a) In General- There are hereby appropriated for fiscal year 2014, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for any period during which interim or full-year appropriations for fiscal year 2014 are not in effect--

(1) such sums as are necessary to provide pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces (as defined in section 101(a)(4) of title 10, United States Code), including reserve components thereof, who perform active service during such period;

Obama doesn't think the Death Gratuity (what a strange name) is covered under "allowances"? That's their story?

Keep in mind, Obama claimed the unilateral right to delay the ObamaCare employer mandate for a year because, ‘You know what, this is a tweak that doesn’t go to the essence of the law,’”.

Now he's suddenly Mr. Strict Constructionist? Screw him.

posted by DrewM. at 12:18 PM

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