Secretary of Defense Ash Carter instructed the Pentagon Wednesday to stop trying to take back bonuses from California National Guard troops, who earned these lump sum payments when they enlisted to deploy in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Veterans advocacy organizations and members of Congress almost unilaterally spoke out against the Pentagon’s attempt to force troops to pay back enlistment bonuses that were, unbeknownst to these troops, given by officials to far more soldiers than the incentive program allowed.
So the Pentagon attempted to recoup these payments nearly a decade later, but the outcry is so strong and consistent against taking money from veterans that the department will no longer continue collection, The Associated Press reports.
Instead, Carter instructed the Pentagon to come up with a process by Jan 1, 2017, to help soldiers receive relief.
“This process has dragged on too long, for too many service members,” Carter said. “Too many cases have languished without action. That’s unfair to service members and to taxpayers.”
The process beginning in January will minimize the burden on troops, but will also “respect our important obligation to the taxpayer,” according to Carter.
Not all soldiers are innocent, after all. Carter noted that at least some of the soldiers knew they shouldn’t have been receiving any bonuses. The Pentagon is planning to fix all cases by July 1, 2017.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy issued a statement following Carter’s announcement.
“I am very pleased that the Department of Defense responded to the outcry from Americans across the nation. As I discussed with the Deputy Secretary of Defense last night, our veterans have already given more than what they owe to this nation, and today’s swift action demonstrates that the Department agrees,” McCarthy said. “While I am happy we were able to work with officials at the Department of Defense to address this issue, we must continue to work to provide a long-term legislative solution so that this never happens again.”
GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter also put out a statement on the matter and noted that Carter could have issued this order at any point in the past.
“This isn’t just the right action to take, it’s the only action to take—and I’m pleased that the Secretary of Defense is waiving repayment for most Guardsmen,” Hunter said. “But it shouldn’t be lost on anyone that the Secretary is taking this action through existing authority and that same authority could have been exercised at any point since the size and scope of the situation was realized.”
Congress knew about the Pentagon’s bonus reclamation effort for at least two years, according to The Los Angeles Times.
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