Sen. Tim Scott: 'No' Vote on Budget Due to Military Pension Cuts

Republican Sen. Tim Scott will vote against the Ryan-Murray budget deal passed last week by the House of Representatives.

Like many who oppose the deal, the South Carolina senator is against the 1 percent reduction in the cost-of-living adjustment for working-age military retirees.

"I think it's a step forward. It's good that both sides are talking. That's good. We're having real pension reform. That's good," Scott said Monday on Fox News Channel's "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren."
 
"But there's two steps back. There's the ugly and the bad. The bad is the fact that we're paying for it over 10 years. The ugly is that we're asking our military to pay for it for us."

The deal cuts retirement benefits 1 percent for working-age military retirees under age 62. Scott said a 42-year-old retiree would lose $75,000 over two decades.

Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire told Fox News Channel's "Special Report" she also plans to vote against the bill when it comes before the Senate for a procedural vote on Tuesday.

Ayotte noted that although federal employees face retirement cuts too, in their case it applies only to new hires.

Republicans have only 45 Senate members to the Democrats' 55. The Washington Post reports there are enough votes — 60 are needed — to pass the procedural hurdle to bring the bill to the floor for a final vote.