Shutdown Denies Death and Burial Benefits to Families of 4 Dead Soldiers

[LongTomH]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — The families of four soldiers killed in Afghanistan last weekend will not receive death benefits or the money to pay for their funerals because of the government shutdown.

The bodies of Sgt. Patrick C. Hawkins, 25; Pfc. Cody J. Patterson, 24; Sgt. Joseph M. Peters, 24; and First Lt. Jennifer M. Moreno, 25, will arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday. The four soldiers were killed Sunday in the Zhari district of Kandahar Province when enemy forces attacked their unit with explosives.

But if their families want to meet the plane, they will have to pay their own way to Delaware.

Under the shutdown, Carl Woog, a Defense Department spokesman, said on Tuesday, “the Department of Defense does not currently have the authority to pay death gratuities and other key benefits for the survivors of service members killed in action.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/us/politics/shutdown-holds-up-death-benefits-for-military-families.html?_r=0

---

This is just wrong!

[Historic NY]

1. The sunshine patriots should be ashamed.

[elleng]

2. Rachel discussing it now,

Andrea Mitchell did a segment on it today.
Allegedly, Congress has a remedy cooking.

[Hestia]

3. Sure they don't - with all the trillions they have laying around I'm sure they can come up with

burials. The embedded Teabaggers in gov't are really milking this shutdown aren't they? Trying to make gov't look bad rather than the one's making the decisions at the top of each bureau. Ego gov't doesn't work.

[kestrel91316]

4. That's how REPUBLICANS support the troops.

[gopiscrap]

5. Fucking asshole repukes

[Stonepounder]

6. But the Repubicans CAN'T restart the gov't....

1. They don't have enough votes.
2. They might 'lose face'
3. We don't really need a government, don't you see that the shutdown isn't affecting you?
4. The debt ceiling doesn't really exist.
5. It doesn't matter, the ACA will destroy the country.
6. Its all Obama's fault for disrespecting the Republicans and not negotiating with them.

[dflprincess]

7. Let me get this straight,

Hagel decided he had the money to call back civilian employees - but he doesn't have money for this?

[div class = "excerpt"]
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/politics/hagel-recalls-most-defense-department-workers.html?_r=0

...When the government shut down, about half of the Defense Department’s civilian work force of 800,000 was ordered to stay home; military personnel are automatically exempted from the shutdown.

In a letter released Saturday, Mr. Hagel said that government lawyers now said that under the Pay Our Military Act, the Defense Department can “eliminate furloughs for employees whose responsibilities contribute to the morale, well-being, capabilities and readiness of service members.”

The act, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama as the government began to shut down, was intended to ensure that the military continued to be paid.

That language was now being interpreted as requiring the work of far more Pentagon civilian employees, most of whom work at installations outside Washington. “I expect us to be able to significantly reduce — but not eliminate — civilian furloughs under this process,” Mr. Hagel said.

Mr. Hagel warned that “many important activities remain curtailed while the shutdown goes on,” and he cited disruptions across the armed services.



Causing additional pain to the families who have lost loved ones who were killed for no reason in a part of the world we should never have sent them to doesn't help either side.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Many of the benefits don't come under DOD

They come under the Dept. of Veterans Affairs.

http://www.va.gov/opa/persona/dependent_survivor.asp

And the teabaggers neglected to fund the VA because, like, they just don't like government, don't want government, and don't care.

[jeff47]

9. It's about law, not money.

The law allows Hagel to recall some furloughed civilians.

It doesn't allow Hagel to pay out anything he feels like.

Don't like it? House Republicans are over there.

[Cha]

12. Yeah, you need to actually get it "straight" before you go

ignorantly blaming Hagel.

[dflprincess]

14. "In a media release Tuesday the Pentagon confirmed that it has suspended death benefits to families"

[div class = "excerpt"]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/08/shutdown-death-benefits_n_4064625.html

"The [Defense Department] does not currently have the authority to pay death gratuities for the survivors of service members killed in action," the release said, adding: “Secretary [of Defense Chuck] Hagel assured the service leaders that he would work closely with them to address these challenges, and support the service members and families impacted by these disruptions

Pentagon officials say they hope to right this wrong as soon as possible. They have promised to reimburse the families once they have the means to do so.

"We are keeping a close eye on those survivors," said Navy Lt. Com. Nate Christensen, a Pentagon spokesman, according to USA Today. "We're ready to pay out as soon as the money comes through. We care a great deal about them."


Apparently taking care of those killed in action (right after their deaths) is the Pentagon's responsibility and if it has money to continue the farce in Afghanistan it can sure in hell find the money to take care of the dead and their families.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. READ THIS

H.R. 3210: Pay Our Military Act

113th Congress, 2013–2015. Text as of Oct 01, 2013 (Passed Congress/Enrolled Bill).


H.R.3210

[center]One Hundred Thirteenth Congress

of the
United States of America

AT THE FIRST SESSION[/center]

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday,

the third day of January, two thousand and thirteen

An Act

Making continuing appropriations for military pay in the event of a Government shutdown.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

[center][font size="4"]SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.[/font][/center]

This Act may be cited as the ‘Pay Our Military Act’.

SEC. 2. CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

(a) In General- There are hereby appropriated for fiscal year 2014, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for any period during which interim or full-year appropriations for fiscal year 2014 are not in effect--

(1) such sums as are necessary to provide pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces (as defined in section 101(a)(4) of title 10, United States Code), including reserve components thereof, who perform active service during such period;

(2) such sums as are necessary to provide pay and allowances to the civilian personnel of the Department of Defense (and the Department of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) whom the Secretary concerned determines are providing support to members of the Armed Forces described in paragraph (1); and

(3) such sums as are necessary to provide pay and allowances to contractors of the Department of Defense (and the Department of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) whom the Secretary concerned determines are providing support to members of the Armed Forces described in paragraph (1).

(b) Secretary Concerned Defined- In this section, the term ‘Secretary concerned’ means--

(1) the Secretary of Defense with respect to matters concerning the Department of Defense; and

(2) the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to matters concerning the Coast Guard.

[center]SEC. 3. TERMINATION.[/center]
Appropriations and funds made available and authority granted pursuant to this Act shall be available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) the enactment into law of an appropriation (including a continuing appropriation) for any purpose for which amounts are made available in section 2; (2) the enactment into law of the applicable regular or continuing appropriations resolution or other Act without any appropriation for such purpose; or (3) January 1, 2015.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr3210/text

This is the text of stop-gap appropriations that was signed into law. It's basically one page. There is nothing in there specifying anything for the "death benefits". Just the active duty, civilian support, and contractor compensation ("pay&quot . That's it.

The Anti-Deficiency Act prohibits obligating funds not explicitly designated by Congress for the purpose. This is why normally, the Defense Appropriations bills are hundreds of pages. E.g., like here - http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-112srpt77/html/CRPT-112srpt77.htm

where it is spelled out -

CTIVITY 6: OTHER MILITARY PERSONNEL COSTS
APPREHENSION OF MILITARY DESERTERS 1,829 1,829 1,829 .............. ..............
INTEREST ON UNIFORMED SERVICES SAVINGS 648 648 648 .............. ..............
DEATH GRATUITIES 65,100 65,100 65,100 .............. ..............
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS 196,569 196,569 196,569 .............. ..............
SURVIVOR BENEFITS 1,125 .............. .............. -1,125 ..............
EDUCATION BENEFITS 12,845 12,845 12,845 .............. ..............
ADOPTION EXPENSES 430 430 430 .............. ..............
TRANSPORTATION SUBSIDY 14,976 14,976 14,976 .............. ..............
PARTIAL DISLOCATION ALLOWANCE 422 422 422 .............. ..............
RESERVE OFFICERS TRAINING CORPS (ROTC) 121,141 121,141 121,141 .............. ..............
JUNIOR ROTC 36,401 36,401 36,401 .............. ..............
PREVENTIVE HEALTH ALLOWANCE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT .............. 1,125 1,125 +1,125 ..............
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL, BUDGET ACTIVITY 6 451,486 451,486 451,486 .............. ..............

[warrant46]

17. It is a Farce

The Bush WAR needs to end

These people were Killed For What?

[sakabatou]

10. Dead wrong, LongTom

It's fucking disgusting.

[Cha]

11. This is on tedcruzKochpuppet.

[marshall]

16. Does the President have the power to make an exception here?

Who makes the pick and choose decisions about what is closed and what isn't? Somebody should have their phone number.