The president is responsible if military pay is delayed due to a shutdown
If military pay is delayed due to a government shutdown it will be because President Obama or members of his administration have decided to delay that pay to score political points.
Remember, the military gets paid on the first and 15th of every month and this government shutdown may occur on the April 8th, leaving Congress and the president six days to kiss and make up before military payday. Also, Social Security and Military retiree checks don’t go out again until the end of April, about 23 days after the possible shutdown.
This isn’t as if there has never been a government shutdown before to which to look. I was in the military during the 1995/96 shutdowns and my pay was not delayed because I was on direct deposit as is the vast of the military today.
Here’s the first paragraph on the military pay delay from AOL News and the Huffington Post:
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration warned Wednesday that a federal shutdown would undermine the economic recovery, delay pay to U.S. troops fighting in three wars, slow the processing of tax returns and limit small business loans and government-backed mortgages during peak home buying season.
As I said, I was active duty military during the Clinton government shutdowns and I don’t remember any of my paychecks being delayed or late. My wife and I remember several government shutdowns during our 20-year military careers, and only once was our paycheck delayed. That was in the late 70’s or 1980, and the credit union on base and the banks honored our checks until the pay was deposited, if we were o direct deposit.
Now, what are the facts of previous government shutdowns with respect to military pay? This information is from Military Money Matters.com.
It’s Not the First Time
It may help you to understand that this will not be the first time we have experienced a government shut down. Far from it. As Andrew Taylor of the Associate Press recently reported:
“. . . from a practical perspective, shutdowns usually aren’t that big a deal. They happened every year when Jimmy Carter was president, averaging 11 days each. During President Reagan’s two terms, there were six shutdowns, typically of just one or two days apiece. Deals got cut. Everybody moved on.”
As a young military spouse, I experienced one of those earlier government shutdowns that lasted long enough to delay military paychecks. I believe it was during 1979-80, which would have been during the Carter Administration. And I don’t recall any lasting negative effects from it, other than some stress and embarrassment.
The best information I can find says that in about 11 government shutdowns since the beginning of the Carter Administration, military pay was only delayed once. So, as usual, President Obama and the Democrats are trying to demagogue the budget by alleging military pay may be delayed if the evil Republicans shut the government down Friday night.
But the facts are the Democrats will be responsible for any shutdown and military pay will not be delayed. Democrats are playing on your emotions yet again and grasping at straws by invoking military pay with respect to a possible government shutdown.
April 8th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
A frequent question is how this compares to the last government shutdown in 1995-1996. There were two shutdowns at that time, one of five days, from November 13 through November 19, 1995, and one of 21 days, from December 15, 1995 through January 5, 1996. The first shutdown was not long enough to affect pay checks, and DOD was not affected by the second because defense appropriations were enacted on December 1, so funding was available.
So it’s not The One’s fault that the military isn’t getting paid. (Well, it is insofar as he and Reid refuse to agree to Boehner’s new resolution, but it’s not solely his fault.) It’s actually … Reid’s and Pelosi’s fault for not passing a 2011 budget last year when they had a chance. The record stands corrected!
April 8th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Sorry that is copied from another website-I hit post to fast.
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/04/07/why-isnt-the-white-house-paying-the-military-during-this-shutdown-if-they-were-paid-in-1995/
April 8th, 2011 at 11:34 pm
[...] Constitution does not address shutdowns, except that it makes the President the Chief Executive. Making payments from the Treasury is an executive act. No statute or court order defines who gets salary priority before the government runs out of [...]
April 8th, 2011 at 11:38 pm
[...] Constitution does not address shutdowns, except that it makes the President the Chief Executive. Making payments from the Treasury is an executive act. No statute or court order defines who gets salary priority before the government runs out of [...]
April 10th, 2011 at 12:26 pm
Funny how a slew of conservatives are saying that Obama ‘threatened’ to withhold troop pay and that he is ‘holding them hostage’ to get his way. Au contraire, it is Boehner who is holding the hostages–women’s health. Tell your friends to stop lying!
April 10th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
I usually don’t engage idiots in the comment section of this blog, but in this case refuse to let the false allegation of “lie” go unanswered. The Democrats ran the executive and legislative branches of government with super majorities last year and failed to pass a budget when Republicans had no power to stop them – but they refused to pass a budget and instead opted to play political games during an election year. As president, President Obama is also the leader of the Democrat Party and failed in his role to get his party in Congress to pass a budget. You can’t even get to the point of blaming Boehner or any of the GOP because the debate today is really last year’s debate – it is Obama’s fault if military pay is delayed because he is the Chief Executive – he is the leader of his Party – he was and is responsible.
You idiot Democrats/liberals, I’ll remind you, always say that it’s the man in the White House’s fault – happens on his watch – he’s responsible. . .
So grow up and stop with your bogus allegations – you no longer get to have your cake and eat it too.
May 2nd, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Do you really feel that you come across as an intellegent person when you write “you idiot Democrats/liberals”. Who needs to grow up here? I’m very disappointed, thought I might hear something interesting and informative but just more name calling.
May 3rd, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Sorry, but the days of you liberals being able to get conservatives to unilaterally disarm rhetorically are over. My opinions, unlike those of liberals, including my “name calling,” are based on facts and history. When I “name call” it is because I have collected data – facts – and formed a conclusion based on facts, unlike liberal name calling. I understand that you liberals lament the fact that we conservatives are finally getting into the game and playing by your rules with a conservative twist – facts – but you’re just going to have to get over it because we’re here to stay.