The savings could be used to increase payments for Section 8 housing. (Sarcasm)
Via Fox:
America’s troops – who haven’t seen a raise over 2 percent in years – could soon see their monthly pay actually go down in some cases if a Senate plan to overhaul the military housing allowance goes through.
Right now, the Defense Department pays service members a set housing stipend based on several factors including rank and zip code. These rules allow bargain-hunting soldiers who find less expensive housing to pocket the difference — and use it for groceries, utilities or other expenses.
Under the new Senate proposal, members of the Army, Navy and Air Force would get only the exact amount they spend on rent and utilities. It’s part of a plan to make sure rent and utilities are covered for everyone while curbing abuses in the system – while likely saving the government millions in the process, according to one estimate.
But the rule tweak is facing strong resistance from military advocates, including some in Congress who are now fighting the proposal.
“This is a benefit every service member earns,” retired Col. Michael Barron, of the Military Officers Association of America advocacy group, told FoxNews.com. “We don’t agree [with the proposed change].”
The proposal to change the so-called Basic Allowance for Housing is included in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.
If approved by Congress and signed into law, the proposed change would go into effect in 2018 and make the tax-free benefit more like the military’s overseas housing allowance, as first reported by The Military Times.
The proposal, part of the 1,666-page Senate bill, has received relatively little attention, in part because Americans may be more concerned about spending recommendations for defense projects and servicemembers’ health care.
“This is a reform bill. … And all of this was achieved while upholding the committee’s commitments to servicemembers, retirees and their families,” Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in May of the $602 billion, bipartisan proposal.
HT: Elwood27