The White House says they will soon share exactly how this whole federal debt ceiling thing will impact troop pay, according to this story on Military.com.
That means right now we have no more actual information than we did before – just the promise that information will come … someday … eventually.
Remember back in April when the DoD and White House announced that if the federal government shutdown the military wouldn’t get paid and some essential base services would be shuttered? And remember all the confusion about what, exactly, that would mean?
I do, and vividly. I also remember saying “so help me if this ever happens again they better have an actual plan.” The panic/non-panic at the commissary was really just too much excitement for one day.
Well, they’re at it again. I'm holding out hope that this time they can produce some sort of actual, clear cut, non-rumor generating plan. Cross your fingers.
So far all the White House has said is that they will announce said plan before August 2. That’s the day the federal government will hit its debt ceiling limit and be forced to either effectively stop spending or raise the cap. Washington is gridlocked while politicians continue to fight about this.
Meanwhile, here’s an update from the story on what we do know:
1. The White House has said it wants to protect veteran and military paychecks.
2. That protection may not extend to “benefits.”
While none of this is official, it does leave the question of what, exactly, is a “benefit.” Does that include everything – healthcare, commissary, base gyms, and even housing allowances? Do the most ‘essential’ of those get a pass?
For the moment speculation is ruling the day. Let’s hope the White House can figure out the rules before the game starts. You better bet we'll keep you updated on this one, so stay tuned.
