Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) believe legislation they have sponsored that would raise the cost of living adjustment for disabled veterans will pass the Senate this week. According to a statement from the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Congress has passed such measures every year since 1976. If approved, it would take effect Dec. 1 and provide an average increase of around 2.9 percent.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.