The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday night advanced a defense policy bill that would give a nearly 20% pay raise to junior enlisted service members and pour investments into improving the quality of life of all troops.
The legislation was approved in a 57-1 vote and will be debated next by the full House. The Senate Armed Services Committee has yet to release its version of the bill, but members have not indicated they will follow the House in raising pay for troops ranked E-4 and lower.
All service members are slated to receive a 4.5% pay raise under the White House’s $895 billion proposal for the defense budget. The House committee is proposing a 15% pay hike on top of that for junior troops, some of whom make less than $25,000 in basic pay.
The House bill’s focus on addressing the military’s shortfalls in compensation, as well as housing, health care, and other issues, is reflected in its title: the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act.
We did that to underscore the tremendous gains this bill makes toward improving the quality of life for our service members and their families, said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the committee chairman.
