[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 164 (Wednesday, September 22, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H4871-H4872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   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

[[Page H4872]]

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.

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