The publication is reproduced in full below:
MILITARY NEEDS LARGER PAY INCREASE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Garcia) for 5 minutes.
Mr. GARCIA of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on an important facet of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. While I am pleased that the NDAA bill delivers good top-line and procurement financial support for our Nation's defense capabilities, the bill is not perfect.
Specifically, I want to share my frustration with the bill's failure to properly increase our Nation's military pay, specifically for our enlisted personnel. The 2.7 percent pay increase for our military servicemembers is simply not enough. Throughout today, during the debate over the NDAA, we will hear Members from both sides of the aisle talk about the 2.7 percent, almost touting this.
I want to put this in perspective. For the average junior enlisted personnel member, this translates to roughly $1.80 a day more for their service. This is unsatisfactory, especially given the gap between military pay and their civilian counterparts is currently at an all-time high.
The reality is that many of our U.S. servicemembers and their families must serve 3 years and gain the rank of E4 before they can be at or above most States' minimum wage. This is also based on the assumption that they are working only 40 hours a week, which we all know is not true. Most servicemembers are actually working 50 to 60 hours per week, given the current operational tempo worldwide.
We should never have to discuss food insecurities for those protecting our security, but the reality is that we have a significant percentage of servicemembers and their families who actually qualify for food stamps. This is unacceptable. We should start by paying them an adequate amount of base pay and avoid the burden of food stamps for our military.
Earlier this year, during committee markup of the FY22 Defense appropriations bill, I offered an amendment that would ensure that all servicemembers make the equivalent of $15 an hour, or $31,200 a year, in base pay. These are not seismic numbers. These are not numbers we, as a Nation, cannot afford.
{time} 1045
When considering the 2.7 percent pay increase included in the FY22 NDAA, we must realize that this would still leave many servicemembers below that $15 minimum that I advocated for in July. Not to mention, the 2.7 percent pay increase actually falls below the current inflation rate, so they are actually losing ground relative to current prices. It also fails to keep pace with servicemembers' pay relative to their civilian counterparts.
If we want to attract and retain the requisite skill sets and warriors needed in a complex battle space against a threat like China, we need to be willing to pay our troops a living wage. In the grand scheme of things, this pay raise for our enlisted ranks is extremely affordable. It not only pays for our servicemembers and their families, but also deepens and solidifies our Nation's security. This is a priceless return on a relatively small investment.
While the amendment I offered to the FY22 NDAA bill was not included in the final bill, I secured a commitment from Defense Subcommittee Chairwoman Betty McCollum that she would create a working group to find a way to address the necessary military pay raise in conference negotiations with the Senate, and I appreciate the Chairwoman's willingness to work with me on this issue.
Let me be clear: While the FY22 NDAA is not perfect and it does not properly raise our military's pay, I plan to support the overall bill as it does make important strides to provide a large majority of the necessary funding and, frankly, the initiatives that our Nation's military needs. I also promise to continue to work on ensuring our servicemembers receive the pay raises that they actually deserve.
After 20 years of unprecedented deployment cycles during the global war on terror, now is the time to invest in our precious servicemembers and their families who provide our beautiful nation its security blanket on a daily basis. $15 an hour or $31,000 a year is a reasonable minimum base salary for our troops.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 164
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
House Representatives' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
Alerts Sign-up