President Obama wants the Pentagon to rush its review of the circumstances that forced California National Guard members to repay the Defense Department bonuses received during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
“His first priority is making sure that our men and women in uniform who signed up to fight for our safety overseas are treated fairly when they come home,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters traveling with Obama as he fundraised in California Tuesday. “When we make a promise to our men and women in the military, we need to keep it.”
Some lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., want the Pentagon to stop forcing soldiers who collected improper bonuses to repay them.
“I don’t think he’s prepared to go that far at this point,” Earnest said about Obama’s thoughts on the matter.
“We’re not going to nickel-and-dime them when they get back; we’re not going to hold service members responsible unfairly for unethical conduct or fraud perpetrated by someone else” either, he said.
