House approves amendment from Marjorie Taylor Greene to cut Lloyd Austin's salary to $1
Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY
Updated Thu, September 28, 2023
WASHINGTON - The House voted to approve an amendment from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to cut Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s salary to $1 on Wednesday - a move that comes amid the growing tension in the House to avert a government shutdown.
“Secretary Austin has not fulfilled his job duties,” Greene said on the House floor Wednesday. “As a matter of fact, he’s destroying our military.”
She criticized Austin for his handling of military recruitment and the withdrawal of Afghanistan on the House floor and said in a video on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after the House vote that “there’s a loss in confidence in Lloyd Austin’s leadership and he deserves to be fired."
Austin, the first Black Secretary of Defense, makes more than $221,000 annually, according to Defense News. For her amendment, Greene said that she used the Holman rule, which “allows amendments to appropriations legislation that would reduce the salary of or fire specific federal employees, or cut a specific program,” according to the House Rules Committee.
In this case, her amendment would be part of the defense spending bill. But despite its inclusion, she told the Washington Examiner that she will still vote against the bill because of its additional aid to Ukraine, which other conservative lawmakers have also opposed.
Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told The New York Times that Austin “is focused on leading the Department of Defense and ensuring our service members worldwide have the resources and support the U.S. military needs to conduct our mission to defend the nation.”
Defense Secretary Austin’s salary cut to $1 under GOP budget plan
Leo Shane III, Bryant Harris
Wed, September 27, 2023
Chad J. McNeeley
House Republicans on Wednesday approved a measure to slash Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s salary from more than $221,000 annually to less than $1, based on their dissatisfaction with his work so far.
The move has little chance of becoming law, but underscores the growing animosity between conservatives and military leaders reporting to President Joe Biden. House Democrats dismissed the move as little more than a political stunt.
As part of debate on the fiscal 2024 defense appropriations bill, GOP lawmakers approved multiple similar proposals to cut salaries for Defense Department positions they dislike.
The Pentagon’s director of diversity and inclusion, the head of the department’s equity and inclusion office, the military’s chief diversity officer, and the assistant secretary of defense for readiness — a transgender woman — were all targeted with amendments that would trim their annual salary to less than $1.
Capitol Hill dysfunction threatens key defense initiatives
Austin, as Biden’s top civilian military leader, was lambasted by Republican lawmakers on the House floor Wednesday for the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the military’s recent recruiting shortfalls and COVID-19 vaccine policies during the pandemic.
“Many Americans agree: We do not want the United States’ military led by failure, causing us to be weak,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga. and sponsor of the Austin salary provision. “We need to pass this amendment.”
A proposal to cut Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley’s pay to $1 was also floated by Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., but dismissed by party leaders before Wednesday’s debate.
Green’s amendment was approved by a voice vote. Democrats did not press for a roll-call vote which may have prevented the provision from being adopted.
However, the pay cut is already unlikely to advance beyond the House, given Democratic control of the Senate and Democratic dissatisfaction with the defense budget bill. Party leaders have already publicly opposed the appropriations plan over Republicans’ inclusion of controversial social policy provisions, including language that would overturn the Pentagon’s abortion travel leave rules and restrict medical care for transgender troops.
“You may disagree with the administration’s policies, as we all have done over the years with different administrations. But Secretary Austin has done nothing to merit this,” said Rep. Betty McCollumn, D-Minn., and ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense panel. “There’s no need for us to make such a personal, drastic attack by eliminating his pay.”
The White House has already threatened to veto the appropriations bill.
Republican leaders also included other amendments offered by the right-flank of the party, including the Freedom Caucus, on the floor. An amendment from Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, would bar the Pentagon from implementing President Joe Biden’s climate change executive orders, mirroring language he added to the defense policy bill in July.
A bevy of other bipartisan amendments would dock funding from the Defense Department’s Operation and Maintenance account in order to bolster various research and development programs.
The House is expected to vote on the full defense spending bill later this week. Even if it passes, a government shutdown starting Sunday remains likely, since House Republicans continue to disagree with Senate Democratic leaders over federal spending levels for a short-term government funding bill.
Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY
Updated Thu, September 28, 2023
WASHINGTON - The House voted to approve an amendment from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to cut Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s salary to $1 on Wednesday - a move that comes amid the growing tension in the House to avert a government shutdown.
“Secretary Austin has not fulfilled his job duties,” Greene said on the House floor Wednesday. “As a matter of fact, he’s destroying our military.”
She criticized Austin for his handling of military recruitment and the withdrawal of Afghanistan on the House floor and said in a video on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after the House vote that “there’s a loss in confidence in Lloyd Austin’s leadership and he deserves to be fired."
Austin, the first Black Secretary of Defense, makes more than $221,000 annually, according to Defense News. For her amendment, Greene said that she used the Holman rule, which “allows amendments to appropriations legislation that would reduce the salary of or fire specific federal employees, or cut a specific program,” according to the House Rules Committee.
In this case, her amendment would be part of the defense spending bill. But despite its inclusion, she told the Washington Examiner that she will still vote against the bill because of its additional aid to Ukraine, which other conservative lawmakers have also opposed.
Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told The New York Times that Austin “is focused on leading the Department of Defense and ensuring our service members worldwide have the resources and support the U.S. military needs to conduct our mission to defend the nation.”
Defense Secretary Austin’s salary cut to $1 under GOP budget plan
Leo Shane III, Bryant Harris
Wed, September 27, 2023
Chad J. McNeeley
House Republicans on Wednesday approved a measure to slash Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s salary from more than $221,000 annually to less than $1, based on their dissatisfaction with his work so far.
The move has little chance of becoming law, but underscores the growing animosity between conservatives and military leaders reporting to President Joe Biden. House Democrats dismissed the move as little more than a political stunt.
As part of debate on the fiscal 2024 defense appropriations bill, GOP lawmakers approved multiple similar proposals to cut salaries for Defense Department positions they dislike.
The Pentagon’s director of diversity and inclusion, the head of the department’s equity and inclusion office, the military’s chief diversity officer, and the assistant secretary of defense for readiness — a transgender woman — were all targeted with amendments that would trim their annual salary to less than $1.
Capitol Hill dysfunction threatens key defense initiatives
Austin, as Biden’s top civilian military leader, was lambasted by Republican lawmakers on the House floor Wednesday for the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the military’s recent recruiting shortfalls and COVID-19 vaccine policies during the pandemic.
“Many Americans agree: We do not want the United States’ military led by failure, causing us to be weak,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga. and sponsor of the Austin salary provision. “We need to pass this amendment.”
A proposal to cut Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley’s pay to $1 was also floated by Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., but dismissed by party leaders before Wednesday’s debate.
Green’s amendment was approved by a voice vote. Democrats did not press for a roll-call vote which may have prevented the provision from being adopted.
However, the pay cut is already unlikely to advance beyond the House, given Democratic control of the Senate and Democratic dissatisfaction with the defense budget bill. Party leaders have already publicly opposed the appropriations plan over Republicans’ inclusion of controversial social policy provisions, including language that would overturn the Pentagon’s abortion travel leave rules and restrict medical care for transgender troops.
“You may disagree with the administration’s policies, as we all have done over the years with different administrations. But Secretary Austin has done nothing to merit this,” said Rep. Betty McCollumn, D-Minn., and ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense panel. “There’s no need for us to make such a personal, drastic attack by eliminating his pay.”
The White House has already threatened to veto the appropriations bill.
Republican leaders also included other amendments offered by the right-flank of the party, including the Freedom Caucus, on the floor. An amendment from Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, would bar the Pentagon from implementing President Joe Biden’s climate change executive orders, mirroring language he added to the defense policy bill in July.
A bevy of other bipartisan amendments would dock funding from the Defense Department’s Operation and Maintenance account in order to bolster various research and development programs.
The House is expected to vote on the full defense spending bill later this week. Even if it passes, a government shutdown starting Sunday remains likely, since House Republicans continue to disagree with Senate Democratic leaders over federal spending levels for a short-term government funding bill.
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