Leon Panetta says U.S. troops face possible pay cut - FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather & Sports

U.S. troops face possible pay cut

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By Matthew Nordin - bio | email
(FOX19/CNN) -

They put their lives on the line for our country every day. But our troops could soon face a pay cut. Civilians who work for the Defense Department --- even here in the Tri-State --- could, too.  

Under a proposal from outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, a junior enlisted service member will be making about $130 less per month than they were planning on.

It may not be a high deduction but it's badly needed cash for military families who try to get by on $1,500 each month.  

Panetta warns that the upcoming budget battle in Washington over automatic cuts to the Defense Department could impact thousands of civilian defense workers, too.  

"We will furlough as many as 800,000 DoD civilians around the country for up to 22 days," he said in a recent speech. "They could face a 20% cut in their salary. You don't think that's going to impact on our economy?"  

Secretary Panetta went on to say that automatic cuts at the Pentagon would have a devastating impact on America's ability to respond to crises around the globe.  

It will be interesting to see what Pres. Obama has to say about all of this in his State of the Union Address Monday night.