The Army's consideration of cuts to two of its premier education benefits is the result of at least one of those program's runaway success and ballooning cost, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told lawmakers Wednesday.
Wormuth described the Army Credentialing Assistance Program as having “catastrophic success” due to its popularity when asked by Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, whose district includes the Fort Cavazos area, on whether cuts to key benefits could impact recruiting and retention.
But cutting education benefits, a key recruiting and retention tool for the military, could be an enormous hurdle for the service and a nightmare when it comes to optics, particularly in an election year.
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“The military is having serious problems with recruiting. So, you're going to cut the benefits for those you want to recruit? It doesn't make any sense,” Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., said on CNN Thursday.
“There will be very strong pushback, I am certain,” Garamendi, a key Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, added.
The service is reviewing both the Army Credentialing Assistance Program, or CA, and the Tuition Assistance Program.
Army CA was introduced forcewide in 2020. The program gives soldiers $4,000 per year for civilian credentials, qualifications that are critical in certain fields and sometimes expire. On top of being…
