Army Times:
Troops don't need bigger pay raises, White House budget officials said Wednesday in a statement of administration policy laying out objections to the House version of the 2008 defense authorization bill.
The Bush administration had asked for a 3 percent military raise for Jan. 1, 2008, enough to match last year's average pay increase in the private sector. The House Armed Services Committee recommends a 3.5 percent pay increase for 2008, and increases in 2009 through 2012 that also are 0.5 percentage point greater than private-sector pay raises.
The White House also opposes increasing disability benefits and death pay outs. So, 'supporting the troops' Bush-style means sending them off to fight in some god forsaken hellhole, underpaying them, and not supporting them as much as you could if they're disabled or their families if they're killed.
Hooray for supporting the troops...
