On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that he has ordered the Pentagon to "suspend all efforts" to recollect bonus payments given to California National Guard members. Recently, thousands of soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were informed they would have to repay their reenlistment bonuses — some of which totaled $15,000 — because the money had been given to them in error.
Though the recollection of the money — which was requested after audits revealed recruiters "improperly offered bonuses" — is legal, the process of getting back the cash payments has proved messy and sparked widespread criticism, The Associated Press reported. "While some soldiers knew or should have known they were ineligible for benefits they were claiming, many others did not," Carter said in a statement.
Carter noted there is already a process in place that can help service members "seek relief" from repaying their bonuses, but the process "has simply moved too slowly and in some cases imposed unreasonable burdens on service members." Carter has proposed a new, "streamlined" system be put in place by Jan. 1, 2017, so that soldiers will bear "as little burden as possible" while ensuring the Defense Department's "obligation to the taxpayer" will be respected. He also insisted the suspension on recollection will remain in place until he is "satisfied that our process is working effectively."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The announcement came a day after House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) urged the Pentagon to stop taking back the bonuses. Ryan argued that when the service members enlisted, "they earned more from us than bureaucratic bungling and false promises."
-
Music reviews: Chance the Rapper, Cass McCombs, and Molly TuttleFeature "Star Line," "Interior Live Oak," and "So Long Little Miss Sunshine"
-
Film reviews: Eden and Honey Don't!Feature Seekers of a new utopia spiral into savagery and a queer private eye prowls a high-desert town
-
Critics' choice: Three chefs fulfilling their ambitionsFeature Kwame Onwuachi's grand second act, Travis Lett makes a comeback, and Jeff Watson's new Korean restaurant
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
