House Appropriations Committee on Homeland Security, photo by CBP Photography via Creative Commons

While Americans anxiously wait to hear news about military involvement in Syria, President Obama recently informed the public of a recent military decision of an entirely different nature. 

 In his Budget for the Fiscal Year of 2014, effective January 1, 2014, the president has decided to increase military salaries by 1 percent, instead of the 1.8 percent originally proposed by Congress.

 Congress had calculated the military pay raise based on the Employment Cost Index, but the President chose to adhere to the portion of the law that exempts him from following the Congressional recommendation based on his own discretion and the needs of the country as a whole. 

"I am strongly committed to supporting our uniformed service members, who have made such great contributions to our Nation over the past decade of war," wrote President Obama in his explanatory letter to congressional leaders. "As our country continues to recover from serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare, however, we must maintain efforts to keep our Nation on a sustainable fiscal course. This effort requires tough choices, especially in light of budget constraints faced by Federal agencies."

Meanwhile, the president intends to extend the same 1 percent pay raise to all federal employees. 

"Civilian Federal employees have already made significant sacrifices as a result of a three-year pay freeze," wrote President Obama.

Despite their budgetary dispute this past weekend, it appears that the President and Congress are on the same page in regard to action in Syria at least. 

Contact Executive Producer Sara Newman here and follow her on Twitter.