A new Congress has been elected and AUSA will work to educate the members – both newly elected and re-elected – about the needs of the Army and the Association’s legislative agenda.There are at least six of the newly elected members who have Army service to balance off the 10 former soldiers who are leaving Congress in January.The current Congress will have one more time at bat, and will have to tackle both defense authorization and appropriations legislation during the "lame duck" session of Congress that will meet from mid-November to mid-December this year.Betting is split between those who think Congress will actually complete an omnibus appropriation and those who think that they will kick the can into next year with yet another continuing resolution.The new Congress will take office in January and will have to finish up any money matters left undone by the incumbents and begin the process of funding our government for FY 2016.Regardless of how that plays out, the Congress must deal with sequestration and its devastating effect on defense funding.AUSA President Gen. Gordon Sullivan, USA, Ret., continues to push the Association’s message that sequestration must end.Together with Maj. Gen. USA, Ret., Gus Hargett, USA, Ret., president of the National Guard Association of the United States, Sullivan sent a joint letter to congressional leaders urging them to remove the specter of sequestration from defense funding.The letter reminded Hill leadership that if sequestration is allowed to continue, then "the nation will be left with its smallest ground force since 1940 – unable to carry out our defense strategy."General Sullivan remains concerned that the general public is unaware that sequestration has impacted our national defense much more severely than any other aspect of American life, and he urges readers to contact Congress.Contact them in large numbers and urge them to end sequestration permanently.Visit the AUSA website (www.ausa.org), click the "Contact Congress" button on the left-hand side, enter your zip code and click on the prepared letter titled "End Sequestration Permanently."If sequestration ends, our armed forces will have the funding necessary to properly defend the nation and pressure to cut military benefits will be reduced.It is grassroots pressure from our association members that will convince Congress that in an increasingly dangerous world, reducing defense spending is the wrong path.General Sullivan pushed that message out during AUSA’s Annual Meeting as well.Speaking of the meeting, I have great news to report on congressional attendance.While no members of Congress attended, as they were all out on the campaign trail, many staffers visited the meeting site – touring exhibits, attending breakfasts and seminars, and visiting unit hospitality suites.Staffers were able to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with top Army leadership to discuss critical issues facing the Army and also to meet with key defense industry leaders and view the latest technology in the exhibit halls.As I briefly mentioned in the last column, this year’s Congressional Staff Breakfast was one of the best attended congressional events in the association’s history, with AUSA hosting 700 attendees. More than 260 key congressional staff members were among that number.The event featured two speakers.Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno addressed the group and described the new Army Operating Concept as a blueprint for the way forward as the Army continues to provide service to the nation and military power in a complex and dangerous world.After he spoke, Army Secretary John McHugh provided his view of the state of the Army to the gathering, which included top leaders of the Army, both military and civilian.The breakfast is a way for AUSA to thank staffers for all they do for the nation and the armed forces in the course of their work.Later in the day, staffers attended the Eisenhower Lunch to hear Odierno speak, and 20 staffers and their guests attended the Marshall Dinner to hear the acceptance speech of former soldier and current Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.The 2014 Annual Meeting was a roaring success. Now AUSA begins the long road toward next year’s meeting with the expectation that it will be even bigger and better than this year.Just prior to the Annual Meeting, the AUSA Resolutions Committee completed its 2015 legislative resolutions.They are available on line at www.ausa.org/legislativeagenda and hard copies will be distributed to the Congress and key military and civilian leaders nationwide.Next year, the government affairs staff will use these resolutions as our guide to legislative advocacy.I have one final bit of news for those of you who recieve federal retirement checks and Social Security checks.The cost-of-living increase has just been announced – 1.7 percent.So, we can say with certainty that your check will increase by that percentage in January 2015.Don’t spend it all in one place, and be sure to save some for that AUSA renewal.We would love to have you as a reader of the "View from the Hill" again next year.Please stay with us as we engage with those on Capitol Hill to authorize and fund programs that will help our Army keep the nation safe and provide a high quality of life for soldiers and their families.