Many of us have flexible spending accounts available where we work. Those are the accounts that allow us to put aside portions of our pay before taxes to cover child care and medical expenses. We get a tax break and steady budgeting to cover the baby sitter, braces, medical co-payments and deductibles. This benefit is available to federal workers but not to U.S. servicemen and women.
Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich are among 18 senators who want to change that. They've written to President Obama asking him to extend the flex benefit to U.S. troops.
It's a good way for families to manage expenses -- and a practical way to help military families.
As Sen. Murkowski points out, fairness demands that we change a system by which civilian employees in the Pentagon have this benefit but the troops do not.
The president should order the change without delay.
To read the complete editorial, visit The Anchorage Daily News.
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