Former Rep. Joe Scarborough Wednesday called the proposed cuts to military retirement benefits in the bipartisan budget bill before Congress "obscene" and accused lawmakers of ignoring the tremendous sacrifices military personnel have made over the course of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and long before.
"That is sick. It's obscene. You look at what these people have done for us over the past 12 years. Look what they've done for us over the past 50 years, 100 years," the former Florida Republican, now a television talk-show host, said on his MSNBC "Morning Joe" program.
"We got, what, a $4 trillion budget every year? And, the only place these people can find to cut spending comes from military retirees?" he asked.
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The budget plan brokered by Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan and Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray calls for a 1 percent cut to military retirement benefits.
Scarborough, a former GOP Congressman from Florida, maintained there were other areas in the budget that could be trimmed, such as pay for lawmakers.
"If they're going to cut the benefits, why doesn't Congress cut the retirement benefits of themselves?" Scarborough argued.
"A promise was made to these men and women" when they signed up to serve in the military, he continued.
Scarborough said if the nation's lawmakers really believe that benefits to the military are too expensive, then they should "stop sending kids off to war for multiple tours."
Navy veteran Jeremy Hilton voiced similar concerns Wednesday on "Fox & Friends." Cutting military benefits represents a break in trust between the government and those who serve, he said.
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"Military families and the men and women who serve in our military consider this a massive breach of faith with the service that we've rendered to America," Hilton said.
"We have to find a better way of cutting and balancing our budget, other than on the back of our military veterans," he added.
Hilton noted that military service members generally don't speak out politically. But he said many are now taking to Twitter, telling lawmakers, "Whether you're a Republican or Democrat, know that in 2014, you vote for this, we're not voting for you."
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