House Approves Defense Budget
Davis Urges Colleagues to Do More May 27 , 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis called on his colleagues to do more for America's troops and veterans as the House approved the Fiscal Year '06 Defense Department budget.

"We need to do more for our men and women in uniform whether they are active or retired," Davis said. "I voted for this authorization bill because it supports our military and their families, however, I believe we should do more."

The bill includes a number of provisions to support our troops and veterans. It provides for a 3.1 percent pay increase for military personal and increases the Guard and Reserve enlistment bonus to $15,000. It provides an additional $49.1 billion in emergency budget authority to support operational costs, personnel expenses and the procurement of equipment for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. A key provision nearly doubles the funding for up-armored Humvees.

According to Davis there were two key provisions that were not adequately addressed in the bill. Representative Gene Taylor, a Democrat from Mississippi, offered a motion to allow all members of the Guard and Reserve and their families to buy into TRICARE for an affordable monthly premium. However, the majority party thwarted his attempt. Currently, the Guard and Reserve are covered by TRICARE only when they are mobilized for active duty and even then, many are not covered. A General Accounting Office report showed 20 percent of all Reservists do not have health insurance, and 40 percent of Reservists aged 19 to 35 lack health coverage.

Veterans won a small victory when a provision was accepted that would end the Disabled Veterans' Tax for those with 60 to 90 percent service connected disability. Military retirees are entitled to a retirement benefit paid by the DoD for over 20 years of service. They are also eligible for compensation benefits from Veterans Affairs for a service-connected disability. Until recently they were not able to receive both. This has changed slightly over the past two years as Congress approved an immediate end to the Disabled Veterans' Tax for those who are 100 percent disabled and a phase out over 10 years for those who are more than 50 percent disabled. Davis wants to see an immediate end of this unjust tax for all those connected with a service related disability.

"Our military men and women have made an enormous sacrifice; it's time for the government to provide appropriate benefits for their service."