Via Daily Caller:
The Obama administration is targeting the bonuses of thousands of soldiers who signed up to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, but left entirely alone the bonuses handed to numerous employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), despite questionable behavior.
In an effort to fill a severe troop shortage, officials at the National Guard wrongfully gave bonuses to thousands of troops who weren’t supposed to receive them, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. Now, the Pentagon wants that money back, sometimes with interest, even though these soldiers served honorably and also had no idea officials were fraudulently doling out bonuses. Congress was apparently aware of this issue for at least two years.
But while this practice of recouping bonuses wrongfully paid might be standard fare at the Pentagon, it certainly does not extend to the rest of the Obama administration. VA faithfully handed out countless millions in bonuses to employees like Michael Moreland, who served as regional director of the Pittsburgh healthcare system, while six veterans died of Legionnaires’ disease, due to systemic facility failures. Moreland received a $63,000 bonus in 2013 a few days after the inspector general report was published. Later that year, he received another bonus of $37,195.