Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says that the Pentagon plan to raise Tricare fees for military retirees under age 65 must consider “what’s right, what’s fair,” but he believes the retirees must pay more than they are currently. However, Graham told Pentagon officials at a hearing last week that he thinks the “two extremes are going to be rejected.” On one hand is the “major league fee increase” being floated by the Pentagon, says Graham, and, on the other is the idea that “there’s never going to be an increase.”
The $4.26 billion Small Business Innovation Research contracting program widely used by the Air Force went into hibernation as the government shut down Oct. 1, but unless lawmakers strike a deal on reforms, the program could reach an abrupt end.
