Wilson Opening Statement for Hearing on Legislative Priorities of the Military Associations

March 23, 2010

Washington, D.C.- U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, today released the following opening statement for the subcommittee's hearing on the legislative priorities for military associations:

"Thank you, Chairwoman Davis, for holding this hearing. It's important for us to hear the views of our witnesses on their priorities for legislative action.

"I am especially grateful to you for honoring my request that we hear testimony from the Gold Star Wives on the imperative that Congress repeal the widow's tax-the mandated reduction of Survivor Benefits annuities when receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. Both witnesses on the second panel have suffered the loss of a spouse on active duty and can talk directly and about the need for repeal.

"As you know, the husband of one of those witnesses, Margaret McCloud, was Lieutenant Colonel Trane McCloud, who was killed in action in Iraq. Trane was an active duty Marine and served as a Defense Legislative Fellow in 2003 in the office of the Second District of South Carolina. I learned firsthand of what a dedicated Marine Trane was as a devoted husband and father.

"I am also glad we will be hearing from an expert from the Congressional Budget Office regarding mandatory spending and pay-as-you go rules that affect how offsets to mandatory spending can be achieved. We need to understand those rules and why it is nearly impossible for Chairman Skelton and others on this committee to pass legislation with mandatory spending costs.

"What our CBO witness is probably not going to be able to address or explain, however, is what many of our witnesses today and most of America sees. And that is when House leadership deems it a priority, the rules can, and are, set aside. Thus, for example, the Congress and the President have committed to spending trillions of dollars to rescue the economy, without any seeming concern for mandatory spending offsets. ‘Cash for Clunkers' was funded a billion dollars in a matter of hours, with additional funding provided immediately when it ran out of money.

"It is my view, as I know it is yours, that we and our constituents must make it clear to House leadership that addressing the numerous concurrent receipt and mandatory spending issue issues are a priority and worthy of their support.

"Again, I thank you for holding this hearing and look forward to the testimony of our witnesses."

#####