Blog Post

Veterans Stand with Senator Sanders to Oppose Cuts in Living Allowances
Posted by Zack Baddorf on January 31

UPDATED: Senator Sanders held another press conference Jan. 31, 2013, about his continued opposition to changing the consumer price index to cut Social Security and disabled veterans’ benefits. Like the December 2012 event, he was joined by a coalition of seniors, veterans and labor organizations, including IAVA. Tom Tarantino spoke about the issue for IAVA:

 

 

---

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) stood with Sen. Bernie Sanders at a press conference Wednesday in Washington to oppose calculating the military Cost of Living Allowances (COLA) with the “Chained” Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Significant benefit cuts would occur to millions of veterans receiving Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Compensation, Social Security and pension benefits if the “Chained” CPI is used to calculate veterans annual COLA. “Chained” CPI assumes that, as a result of the economic downturn, consumers are substituting cheaper products for the ones they used to buy. This understates the true cost of living and is a benefit cut.

Watch Senator Sanders, IAVA's Chief Policy Officer Tom Tarantino and other veterans at the press conference:



Tom Tarantino was featured in a Washington Post and AP article about the press conference.