WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today praised the Pentagon’s announcement ending its controversial “stop loss” policy, which involuntarily extends military service beyond an enlistment contract and providing a monthly $500 bonus for service members who have been stop-lossed this year.  Last September, Congress passed a provision championed by Lautenberg and Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH) to provide a monthly bonus to troops affected by “stop loss.”  

    “This is a victory for soldiers and their families.  After months and often years of risking their lives, our troops deserve to know when they will return home,” Sen. Lautenberg said.  “The military made a deal with our men and women in uniform and will now live up to that commitment.”

    The provision that passed Congress last year was based on Sen. Lautenberg and Rep. Sutton’s legislation, the Stop-Loss Compensation Act (S. 3060 and H.R. 6205).  This legislation was supported by leading veterans and military service organizations, including the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS), the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and Veterans for America (VFA).  The stop loss provision was inserted into the Fiscal Year 2009 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 110-329), which included funds for the Defense Department, and requires the Pentagon to pay $500 to each service member for each month he or she is kept beyond the end of their enlistment period in Fiscal Year 2009. 

    In February 2009, Sen. Lautenberg sent a letter to Secretary Gates urging him to “promptly and fully distribute compensation” to any service member whose service was extended.

     The Army’s stop loss policy can keep a soldier in service if his or her unit deploys within 90 days of the end of the soldier’s commitment.  However, until today soldiers were not compensated for that extra commitment.  In total, over 160,000 soldiers have been affected by stop loss since 2002 and according to the Army, approximately 12,000 troops are currently stop-lossed, including active duty, Reserve and National Guard troops.

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