Even in shutdown, mil-raises safe

WASHINGTON – Military service members – and retired civil service workers - are scheduled to get a 3.1 percent pay raise in January despite the bickering on Capitol Hill, and threats of a fourth government shutdown under President Trump’s administration. Those pay raises seem safe, though benefits could be impacted if lawmakers fail to make a deal by Nov. 21. “We’ll see what happens,” President Donald Trump said Sunday about a shutdown before Thanksgiving. The pay raise for service members goes into effect Jan. 1, regardless of lawmakers’ partisanship maneuvering. The pay raise is mandated by federal statute unless Congress or the president intervenes, which is not likely. Service members aren’t expected to immediately feel much impact if the government shuts down, but a long shutdown could raise some issues regarding benefits. At least one Democratic lawmaker, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), believes it’s possible Trump could use another shutdown as diversion from an impeachment investigation in the House. Some Congressmen seem confident the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which directs policy and spending plans for the Defense Department, will ultimately pass despite the clock’s ticking down to Nov. 21. The federal government has been funded since Oct. 1, the start of FY 2020, by a continuing resolution that is set to expire before Thanksgiving. There’s also a “skinny” NDAA fallback plan that essentially funds the military without siphoning military money for Trump’s border wall. One senior Republican aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, called it the “break glass in case of emergency” plan. But it might be dead on arrival in the Dem-led House. The 3.1% pay raise is the largest annual increase in compensation for service members since 2010. (Source: Stars and Stripes 11/05/19) https://www.stripes.com/news/us/as-possible-shutdown-looms-troop-pay-raises-seem-safe-but-benefits-could-be-interrupted-1.606161