Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, (R-TX), leads a bipartisan group of Senators in supporting S 724, Ensuring Pay For Our Military Act of 2011. This bill would insure that our soldiers would continue to be paid even if our government is shut down.
Senator Hutchison said of the bill, “A government shutdown is in no one's interest, and I remain hopeful that we will reach an agreement on spending reductions that will fund government until the end of the fiscal year, September 30, 2011. I am not willing to place the well-being of our military personnel and their families in the balance as we await a budget agreement. Our troops are serving our country, and our country must continue to serve them. This legislation would ensure the military gets paid on time, even if Congress cannot pass a budget before the April 8 deadline.” (http://www.hutchison.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=519)
Senator Inhofe (R-OK) says of the bill, “The last concern our service men and women need to have while serving in harm's way is whether or not they can pay their bills – rent, car payments, and food for their families. This country and this Congress has an obligation to care for our military and their families, just as they care for and protect this nation every day.” Senator Inhofe is a senior member of the Armed Forces Committee.
Senator Casey, who is the lead Democrat supporting this bill, said, “While we continue to debate the budget here in Washington, we must do everything to ensure that our service members and their families get the support they deserve. Our military men and women put their lives on the line and sacrifice every day to ensure our security. They should not have to worry about getting paid on time. This legislation will make sure our service members are taken care throughout this important budget debate.”
At present there are 60 Senators co-sponsoring this bill, so it has the support it needs to pass, which are almost all of the Republicans, with a few notable exceptions—Tom Coburn (R-OK), Thad Cochran (R-MS), John McCain (R-AZ), and Rand Paul (R-KY).
The Democrats who reached across the aisle to support the soldiers are—Max Baucus (D-MT), Michael Bennett (D-CO), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Robert Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Kay Hagan (D-NC), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Joe Manchin, III (D-WV), Mary Pryor (D-AR), John D. Rockefeller, IV (D-WV), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Mark Udall (D-CO), Tom Udall (D-NM), and Mark Warner (D-VA).
There is a similar bill in the House, written by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), H. R. 1297. (http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2011/04/ensuring-pay-for-our-milit...)
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