Washington, DC – U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL-13th) yesterday delivered the following speech on the floor of the House of Representatives in support of her amendment giving an across-the-board pay raise to American men and women in uniform. Congressional Democrats adopted a rule that blocked Representative Biggert’s amendment from being considered by the full House.

        “Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this rule.

        I offered an amendment on Monday to address an injustice against the members of our armed services that was shut-out by this rule.

        Briefly, my amendment would have given an across-the-board pay raise of 5% to our military personnel.  According to estimates made by the Congressional Research Service, the “pay gap” between military personnel and civilians in comparable positions is 3%.  Given that the cost of living increase for 2010 is 2.9%, my amendment is an important first step to addressing this problem.  Particularly during a recession, it is unacceptable that our men and women in uniform receive less than their civilian counterparts.

        I received assurances from the House Parliamentarian that my amendment was in order, and from the Congressional Budget Office that it complies with all PAYGO requirements.

        I cannot understand why the majority would deny our troops the right to an up-or-down vote on this amendment for no reason other than time.  If we have time to debate an amendment that would require a study of the number of subcontractors used by the Department of Defense, we should have time to debate giving our troops a fair wage.

        Mr. Speaker, this is the second time I have offered an amendment to increase the pay of our troops and the second time it has been denied.  I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule and yield back the balance of my time.”