Senate Votes to Restore Military COLA Benefits
Shortly after passing a suspension of the limit on federal borrowing Wednesday, the Senate voted 95-3 to pass a bill restoring military retiree benefits that were cut last year, choosing to adopt the House’s solution of extending automatic cuts to Medicare to accompany the pension increase.
In a lopsided vote, the House voted Tuesday to restore the cost of living adjustment to military veterans who are younger than 62 years old, which were cut as part of December’s bipartisan budget deal.
House Republicans had floated the idea of tying the repeal of military pension cuts to a bill raising the federal government’s borrowing authority, but ultimately passed a debt-ceiling increase and the military COLA restoration individually.