'It infuriates us': Veterans rage at 'abusive' Trump over reports of him stiffing soldiers
Donald Trump has reportedly gone out of his way to avoid paying national guard troops sent in to Washington, D.C., resulting in outrage from veterans.
The reports started earlier in the summer that Trump was utilizing a loophole when deploying the national guard, and avoiding paying those individuals certain additional benefits. In June, Vote In Or Out reported that "Trump deployed National Guard troops on multiple 29-day orders—specifically choosing durations under 30 days to avoid paying full Basic Allowance for Housing Type 1 (BAH‑1)."
"Under Title 32 regulations, if orders run fewer than 30 days, members receive only the reduced 'BAH‑Type 2,' not full BAH‑1; full benefits begin only on day 31 and only apply from that point forward—not retroactively," the group wrote. "By repeatedly cycling short orders—ending them on day 29 and restarting on day 31—the administration saved roughly $2,500 per service member per month, based on differences between BAH‑Type 2 and BAH‑1."
Now, there are rumors circulating from veterans on Reddit and other social media that it's happening again.
Early Sunday morning, military analyst WarMonitor reported, "White House put DC National Guard on 29-day orders... 1 day short of 30 needed for full housing and health benefits."
Ex-GOP lawmaker Adam Kinzinger, himself a veteran, also raised the issue on Sunday morning, writing, "So Trump put the national guard on 29 day orders?!"
"Why does this matter: They don’t pay full housing allowance and no health insurance until 30 days," Kinzinger added. "What an abusive commander in chief. So Trump."
A self-identified veteran replied to Kinzinger, writing, "I’m an ex-Military guy too, and we all know this is the kind of BS thing that infuriates us."
"We swear an oath to the Constitution, not a man - and when a mere man abuses his power this way, we have every right to refuse an order we think is illegal," wrote the user, @EpicJourneyMan1. They added, "Before he pisses us off!"
Another self-identified veteran, known as @the15six, wrote Sunday, "29 day orders. What a giant piece of s--- for a CiC. It's always 'f--- the troops' with Trump."
