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WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan wants the Pentagon to immediately stop trying to recover enlistment bonuses that were paid to thousands of soldiers in California when they signed up to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ryan says those soldiers earned more than "bureaucratic bungling and false promises."
The Pentagon demanded the soldiers repay their enlistment bonuses after audits revealed overpayments by the California National Guard -- which had been under pressure to fill ranks and hit enlistment goals. If soldiers refuse, they could face interest charges, wage garnishments and tax liens.
When asked by reporters about the matter today in Paris, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the issue is complex, and that it's being handled by the deputy secretary of defense, Robert Work.
Carter said that "anybody who volunteers to serve in the armed forces of the United States deserves our gratitude and respect -- period." He said officials will look into the repayment problem "and resolve it," but he offered no details.
A defense authorization bill passed by the House would establish a statute of limitations on the military's ability to recover future overpayments.
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083-v-36-(Carlotta Bradley, AP correspondent)--Members of Congress and national veterans leaders want something done to help thousands of soldiers who've been told to repay enlistment bonuses. AP correspondent Carlotta Bradley reports. (25 Oct 2016)
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APPHOTO FX105: FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2011 file photo, California Army National Guard soldiers watch the arrival of the body of soldier Sean Walsh, who died on Nov. 16 during a combat operation in Afghanistan, at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View, Calif. Nearly 10,000 California National Guard soldiers have been ordered to repay huge enlistment bonuses a decade after signing up to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File) (24 Oct 2016)
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