Cuts to Cost-of-Living Allowances ‘Make It Hard Just to Exist,’ Military Families in Germany Say – By Thomas Novelly (Military.com) / May 25, 2022
When the Pentagon announced significant cuts to cost-of-living allowances this summer for service members and their families stationed in Germany, many stared at stacks of bills and were utterly confused.
Spouses in Germany say it is not an affordable place to live right now as the country is being hit by skyrocketing utility costs, decreased access to child care and gas prices comparable to the United States — all caused by the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as Russia’s unprecedented invasion of Ukraine.
“I’ve never heard [service members or their families] talk about the job being too hard,” a military spouse at Ramstein Air Base, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, told Military.com. “It’s always these day-to-day things the Pentagon makes way too difficult. They make it hard just to exist, just to survive.”
