House GOP Criticizes Biden for Rejecting Pay Increase for Junior Troops
President Biden has faced criticism from House Republicans after opposing a proposal in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that aimed to increase the basic pay for low-ranking military troops by 19.5% next year. The White House released a statement expressing Biden’s strong opposition to this significant change prior to the completion of the Fourteenth Quadrenial Review of Military Compensation (QRMC). The House-led initiative was designed to raise the minimum income of service members to at least $30,000 annually, highlighting that some early-career enlisted members earn as little as $24,000, not including benefits like housing allowances and healthcare. The urgency of this raise was underscored by a USDA report revealing that a quarter of the military population faced food insecurity between 2018 and 2020. Republican Representative Derrick Van Orden criticized Biden harshly, contrasting the president’s personal financial success with the struggles faced by junior enlisted personnel, citing his own experience of financial difficulty when he was a Navy Seal.
After President Biden opposed the House-led version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would give low-ranking troops in the military a 19.5% raise in basic pay next year, House Republicans blasted him.
The White House issued a statement this week in which they stated Biden “strongly opposes making a significant, permanent change to the basic pay schedule before the completion of the Fourteenth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation (QRMC).”
“Some early-career enlisted service members can make as little as $24,000, not including their housing allowances and free health care,” The Daily Mail noted. “The House plan would ensure that service members make at least $30,000 per year. … One quarter of the military population experienced food insecurity between 2018 and 2020 , according to the US Department of Agriculture”
“Joe Biden managed to become a multi-millionaire on a public servant salary,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden, (R-WI) told The Daily Mail. “And he is snatching food out of our junior enlisted people’s mouths.” He recalled that when he served as a Navy Seal his wife needed WIC coupons to fed their children. “It’s disgusting and reprehensible. I can’t feel more strongly about it. That is bulls****,” he said of the White House’s attitude.
“It’s completely insane,” Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) echoed. “I can’t understand that the rationale and in what universe it would make sense, either from a policy or from a political perspective. They’re actually going out of their way to say no to this and explain why this is a bad idea and it’s, it’s completely irrational and politically it’s actually suicidal.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), said Biden’s opposition was “one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard come out of [Biden’s] mouth,” adding, “You got one out of eight ballistic guys on staff at food and water food banks, particularly in DC, San Diego. And we figured we worked hard to figure out would the price need to be to get them above that threshold.”
Garcia said former President Donald Trump discussed the issue with House Republicans on Wednesday and said that military pay would be a “front burner issue.” He said Trump declared, “Everyone knows that we’re having challenges in our military right now. So why would you not support getting them to the equivalent of a minimum wage which the rest of the universe has in our country?”
“This is a pay raise targeted at the E1 through E4 level, who are currently making literally $12 an hour, right now, which in California is about half of what the fast food workers make at McDonald’s,” Garcia said.
Yet the White House statement expressed concern about DEI, writing, “The Administration strongly opposes Sections 573 and 1113(g)(3), which would limit the ability of DoD and Federal agencies to support and promote positive cultures that empower, respect, and value all employees and students. The prohibitions regarding DEI efforts would impede DoD’s and Federal agencies’ ability to recruit and retain the diverse perspectives, experiences, and skillsets that are foundational to the strength of the Federal workforce.”
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