Arlington, VA – Concerned Veterans for America (CVA applauds House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) for taking action and standing by veterans through the Pentagon’s recently-exposed bonus repayment scandal at the California National Guard.
Thousands of soldiers in California – many of whom served multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan – were ordered to repay enlistment bonuses given to them by the Pentagon over a decade ago. If the veterans were unable to pay back the money, the Pentagon planned to use interest charges, wage garnishments, and tax liens to recoup it.
As a result of this scandal, Rep. McCarthy is advocating for legislation that will provide “a long-term solution so this never happens again.” Yesterday, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform launched an investigation on this issue.
Rep. Miller, calls Defense Sec. Carter’s announcement suspending recoupment “nothing more than a ham-handed attempt to shift the focus away from the Obama administration’s shameful treatment of service members and veterans.” Miller also points out that there seems to be no clear plan to repay veterans who have already been forced to hand over their bonuses. In addition, there has been no acknowledgment or reassurance that proper steps will be taken to prevent another repayment scandal.
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) Executive Director Mark Lucas issued the following statement:
“We applaud Miller and McCarthy for acting quickly to help these American heroes who are having the rug pulled out from under them by their own government. McCarthy hit the nail on the head: our veterans have already given enough and at a minimum, they deserve a Congress who will protect them from future government fraud, abuse, and failure. If we cannot ensure our veterans are protected from government wrongdoing, then who exactly is protected?“
Along with Rep. Miller and Rep. McCarthy, CVA is urging members of Congress to act quickly to waive the bonus repayments and find a long-term legislative solution that will protect our nation’s veterans from future government fraud and abuse.
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