Push is on to boost troops’ housing allowance
WASHINGTON — Democrats in both chambers have been angling for several years to give military families more money to cover housing costs, and they are at it again — this time with some influential GOP support.
Last year, Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash., and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., filed bills that would require the Defense Department to pay 100% of troops’ Basic Allowances for Housing, which cover the cost of commercial housing in the United States for the roughly two-thirds of the U.S. active-duty force that does not live in the military services’ on-base quarters.
The rate of reimbursement was 100% from roughly 2005 to 2015. But for most of the years since then, the Pentagon has paid 95% of the tab while military families have had to cover the other 5%. The fiscal 2015 NDAA (PL 113-291) authorized the reduced housing payments as a cost-saving measure.
How much that allowance amounts to in any particular case hinges on the cost of housing in whatever part of the country a service member is stationed, plus his or her rank and number of dependents.
At a March 29 hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, Strickland questioned Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III about whether he supports restoring the mandate to pay all 100% of a service member’s housing costs.
Austin said the matter is under review, and he expressed sympathy for Strickland’s goal.
But Congress may consider taking the matter into its own hands.
—CQ Roll Call
Judge rejects Crumbley parents' request to attend Oxford shooter's pre-sentencing hearing
PONTIAC, Mich. — An Oakland County judge denied a request from the parents of the Oxford High School shooter to attend their son's hearing that will determine if he will be eligible for parole.
Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews denied the request Wednesday, but did not give a reason.
Prosecutors balked at the March 27 request, filed by the Crumbleys' attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman.
Smith and Lehman said the May 1 Miller hearing, where Judge Kwame Rowe will hear testimony to indicate if there are mitigating factors that would make it unconstitutional to sentence their son to life in prison without the possibility of parole, is "of paramount importance" to the Crumbleys. They have not been allowed to have contact with their son, though they have received "sufficient" updates from family members and from their attorneys on how he is doing, according to the request.
But the Crumbleys' statement that they are concerned about their son "is a stark contrast to their actions and inactions immediately after the shooting," Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast wrote.
The Crumbleys are charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deaths of Justin Shilling, 17; Hana St. Juliana, 14; Tate Myre, 16; and Madisyn Baldwin, 17.
Their son pleaded guilty in October to their deaths.
—The Detroit News
King Charles shows support for investigation into royal family’s ties to slavery
King Charles III on Thursday said he backed an investigation into the British royal family’s ties to slavery in the 17th and 18th centuries — an issue he takes “profoundly seriously,” according to a Buckingham Palace spokesperson.
The significant announcement is believed to be the palace’s first instance of public support for research into the royal family’s much-debated involvement in the enslavement of African people.
Charles, who ascended to the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, last September, expressed support for the research after the British newspaper The Guardian published a previously unseen document showing the involvement of King William II with the Royal African Company, a slave-trading enterprise, in 1689.
The document detailed the transfer of 1,000 pounds in shares from the slave-trading company to the king’s predecessor.
While Buckingham Palace didn’t comment on the document itself, it said Charles fully supports the investigation by offering access to the royal collection and the royal archives. The investigation is being co-sponsored by Historic Royal Palaces, a charity that manages some of the U.K.’s unoccupied royal palaces.
“This is an issue that His Majesty takes profoundly seriously. As His Majesty told the Commonwealth heads of government reception in Rwanda last year: ‘I cannot describe the depths of my personal sorrow at the suffering of so many, as I continue to deepen my own understanding of slavery’s enduring impact,’” the spokesperson told The Guardian.
“That process has continued with vigor and determination since His Majesty’s accession,” they added.
The research, a Ph.D. project by historian Camilla de Koning, is expected to be completed by 2026.
—New York Daily News
Macron urges Xi to bring Putin ‘back to reason’ over Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron urged Xi Jinping to use his influence to help restore peace to Ukraine, saying the Chinese leader could bring all sides together to discuss a way to end the Russian invasion.
“I know I can count on you to bring Russia back to reason and everybody to the negotiation table,” Macron told Xi during a meeting in Beijing on Thursday.
Xi has sought to rally international support for a vague blueprint to bring peace to Ukraine following Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s invasion last year. While the U.S. and its allies have dismissed any cease-fire proposal that would allow Russia to keep territorial gains, some countries like France have welcomed China’s effort to find a diplomatic resolution.
While Macron doesn’t expect China to drop its close partnership with Russia, he does see room for potentially significant moves from Beijing, according to a senior French official. Macron was also expected to warn Xi against supplying Russia with weapons.
Xi said with respect to Ukraine, that China remains committed to encouraging peaceful negotiation and solving the issue with political measures. He also joined France in calling for attacks on civilians and children to end and to honor commitments to avoid the use of nuclear weapons.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who met Xi with Macron and bilaterally, told reporters after the talks that the European Union and China had agreed to convene high-level talks on trade and economic issues, as well as separately on digital issues, to address imbalances.
Macron spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this week about the China visit, and “they also reiterated their steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression,” according to a White House statement.
—Bloomberg News
