Extremist Republican Rep Tom Cotton wrapped himself in the military to explain away his vote for a federal spending bill with huge sums of money for Arkansas, including military installations.
The Arkansas Democratic Party makes a simple point worth noting on Cotton’s excuse-making:
In a press release, Congressman Cotton said that he opposed the bill because of “unprecedented cuts to military pensions.” He’s referring to a 1% reduction in Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for veterans who retire before age 62.
However, in 2011 Congressman Cotton supported the Republican Study Committee’s budget. The Republican Study Committee budget eliminated COLA for all veterans who retire before age 62. That’s a far more drastic cut than the one Congressman Cotton cites for his opposition to the recent budget compromise.
It’s important to note that Senator Pryor wrote and introduced a bill to fix the 1% cut in COLA for veterans.