WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) voted to restore misguided military retirement cuts that were included in the Bipartisan Budget Act.

“Our retired servicemembers were unjustly targeted to bear the burden of irresponsible spending. The budget agreement passed at the end of last year unfairly puts this weight on their shoulders, which is why I voted against that agreement. I have fought to bring this correction for a vote on the Senate floor. We needed to right this wrong so our military retirees and their families have one less thing to worry about. This vote restored the full COLA for retirees who joined prior to January 1, 2014, but upholding our promise for all those who enrolled prior to the initial cut is an important step in the right direction. However, this entire provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act should still be repealed, and if there are ever any changes to military retirement they should be part of a more responsible, thoughtful and comprehensive proposal,” Boozman said. 

Boozman spoke in support of the legislation today. Click here to watch the remarks.

A provision in the budget agreement Congress passed in December required a one-percent annual reduction in the cost of living adjustment (COLA) for military retirees. Boozman voted against the Bipartisan Budget Act because of this unfair offset. Boozman supported the first steps at correcting this injustice by supporting the omnibus that reversed the COLA cuts for medically retired disabled veterans and those collecting survivor annuities and encouraged his colleagues to fully restore these cuts on the Senate floor and in letters to his colleagues.

Boozman is a cosponsor of  S. 1869, the “Keeping Our Promise to Our Military Heroes Act,” which would fully restore military pay for all retirees, as well as S. Res. 323, a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate on the need to restore military retirement pay.