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Military

Sequestration To Force Military Pay Cut?

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta will recommend to Congress a limit in military pay in light of looming sequestration cuts, several sources told CNN. The move would be tantamount to a pay cut, as the suggested raise for military pay would not keep up with the expected increased cost of living next year.

One unnamed Pentagon official told CNN he sees Panetta's recommendation as a roundabout way to make Congress act against sequestration:

[I}f this current pay plan goes into effect, it's widely seen as "cutting our pay," one military officer familiar with the plan told CNN. "It's a smart move, it puts it in Congress' hands," he said.

In other words, even though Panetta would be recommending the pay limit, it would be Congress that would be voting for it - unless lawmakers come up with a budget plan to avoid drastic sequestration cuts.

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I've posted the CNN story up top, in which Barbara Starr outlines the political gamesmanship.