Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, beneficiaries would get cuts in their cost of living adjustments.

This morning, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joined representatives fromAi??The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other veterans groups to denounce this proposal. Here’s an excerpt from a release about the event:

Leaders of The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and other veteransai??i?? organizations on Wednesday joined Sen. Bernie Sanders to denounce proposals to cut veteransai??i?? disability benefits as part of a year-end deal on deficits.

A member of the Senate Veteransai??i?? Affairs Committee and the Budget Committee, Sanders said there are better approaches to deficit reduction than slashing benefits for more than 3 million disabled veterans and their families.

ai???We must do deficit reduction, but not by cutting programs for people who lost arms, legs and eyes defending our country,ai??? Sanders said. ai???We must not balance the budget on the backs of men and women who already sacrificed for us in Iraq and Afghanistan.ai???

Sandersai??i?? point was echoed by the nationai??i??s leading veteransai??i?? organizations.

ai???The American Legion understands the need to restore fiscal discipline, but it should not be done by reneging on this countryai??i??s promises to its veterans who already have earned these benefits through their service to our country,ai??? James Koutz, the American Legion national commander, wrote in aAi??letterAi??to congressional leaders.