Mitch McConnell kills effort to protect military pay as GOP pushed for shutdown

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) would not allow military pay to be left unmolested by the Republican Party’s decision to shut down the federal government. Once again, Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have made the military suffer as a result of their political gamesmanship. The move, occurring at night as the Senate debated the shutdown, is a change from 2013, when the Obama administration ensured that military pay would not be disrupted by a shutdown.

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) introduced a resolution that would have secured pay for service members, noting that Trump has been trying to divide the country by invoking the military and putting the blame on Democrats if they were to go unpaid in the event of a shutdown. She then said, “I don’t want one moment to pass with there being any uncertainty of any soldier anywhere in the world that they will be paid for the valiant work they do on behalf of our national security.” Despite widespread concern for the issue amongst both Democratic and Republican voters, Republican leadership didn’t show any regard for protecting military pay as they moved to shut down the government.

McConnell quickly objected to McCaskill’s resolution — and instead left military pay up in the air along with the other casualties of his party’s decision to grind the federal government to a halt.

https://shareblue.com/watch-mitch-mcconnell-kill-effort-to-protect-military-pay-as-gop-pushed-for-shutdown/