{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140220234322/http://southerland.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=9A98C1E9-CE9A-4984-A93A-12A6935E8FB2", "Southerland Fights to Exempt Military Retirees from COLA Cuts", "2013-12-19", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Steve Southerland", "S001186", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II today joined House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-FL) in introducing legislation to eliminate cuts in the cost-of-living adjustments for military retirees. Southerland supported the Bipartisan Budget Act last week, which reduced the federal deficit by $23 billion and limited the crushing impact of sequestration on our military, but he remained committed to removing the military retiree COLA adjustments included in the legislation before they took effect in 2015.\n\u201cI voted against sequestration in 2011 because I knew it was wrong for North and Northwest Florida\u2019s military,\u201d Southerland said. \u201cI voted for the Bipartisan Budget Act last week because it lessened the crushing impact of these untargeted, across-the-board cuts on America\u2019s military readiness. That being said, I knew I could not support keeping in place COLA cuts for our military retirees. That\u2019s why I am proud to have joined with Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Chairman Miller to ensure the federal government keeps its promises to the veterans who sacrificed so much for our freedoms.\u201d\nMiller and Southerland introduced two measures: one to eliminate COLA adjustments for all military retirees, and one that focuses specifically on veterans who are medically retired, receiving Combat Related Special Compensation and/or Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140220234322/http://southerland.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=9A98C1E9-CE9A-4984-A93A-12A6935E8FB2"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9763349555432796, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}