WASHINGTON — House Republicans narrowly pushed through a defense spending bill on Friday that provides a significant pay raise for troops while also undoing social policies conservatives deemed a distraction from the Pentagon’s warfighting mission.
The 217-198 vote was split along party lines, with Democrats refusing to support provisions in the legislation that roll back travel reimbursement for service members who are stationed in states with abortion restrictions, ban funding for gender-affirming care and gut diversity initiatives.
“This bill contains a laundry list of partisan proposals that divide Americans,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.
Republicans dismissed the cut programs as wasteful spending that took attention and resources away from readying the military for an increasingly aggressive China and other growing threats around the world.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, argued the Defense Department has been turned into a “woke social engineering experiment that is more concerned about transgender surgeries and pushing a radical agenda than ensuring that we have the military that is necessary to defend the United States of America. ”.
The bill provides $833 billion for the Pentagon to innovate and modernize and gives all troops a 4. 5% pay raise as well as an additional 15% pay raise for junior enlisted service members. It also contains $18 billion in cuts to the White House’s requested defense budget, including $612 million from climate resiliency efforts and $53 million from diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
It also notably excludes money for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a decade-old training and weapons procurement program that receives funding from Congress every year.
Democrats lined up in opposition to the bill at every step of the legislative process. Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, accused Republicans of pandering to their extreme right base and warned the legislation as written would never become law.
“Enough already. Stop with the culture-war nonsense,” he said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you people, but all you seem to care about is attacking the health and rights of women to have children and beating up LGBTQ people.” It is offensive. It is sick. ”.
House Republicans muscled through a similarly divisive spending bill last year for fiscal 2024 but all partisan social riders were stripped out during negotiations with the Democrat-led Senate.
This week, the House Rules Committee wouldn’t let the floor vote on a number of controversial amendments, including one by Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont. , to defund IVF fertility treatments for troops. Lawmakers also voted down a proposal by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. , to reduce Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s salary to $1.
This week, the White House said that President Joe Biden would veto the bill because it had parts that would have “devastating consequences” for the readiness of the military and the well-being of military families if it passed. These parts would limit access to abortion and other rights.
Rep. Ken Calvert of California, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subpanel, said the bill prioritized supporting service members and equipping them for training and warfare, not culture wars.
He touted investments in major weapons systems and America’s defense industrial base as well as ramped up efforts to combat the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the country.
The bill also contains a provision that would move Mexico from Northern Command’s area of responsibility to Southern Command for “improved coordination and prioritization.”
“This bill procures where we can, trains where we must, and invests in capabilities that will make our adversaries wake up every day and say, ‘Today is not the day to provoke the United States of America,’” Calvert said.
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The House of Representatives recently passed a bill that includes significant pay raises for military personnel in 2025. The proposed pay raises are part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025. This crucial legislation authorizes funding levels and sets policies for the Department of Defense.
Background on the NDAA
The NDAA is passed by Congress on an annual basis. It is one of the few major bills that reliably becomes law every year. While the overall dollar amounts and specific policies can change from year to year, the NDAA provides vital funding and direction for America’s armed forces.
Members of Congress want to pass the NDAA as soon as possible. The bill usually has strong support from both parties, since both agree on how important it is to protect the country. However, there are often disagreements over specific funding levels and policy provisions. Often, talks between the House and Senate are needed to come up with a bill that works for both.
The first version of the NDAA in the House gave $895 billion for fiscal year 2025. 2 billion in defense spending. This was approximately $9 billion above the 2024 enacted level. The House bill also gave military members, especially junior enlisted troops, a big pay raise.
Pay Raise for Junior Enlisted Troops
Under the NDAA that was passed by the House, the youngest enlisted servicemembers would get a 19 5% pay raise in 2025. This would apply to troops in paygrades E-1 through E-4. Other military personnel would get a 4. 5% raise under the House plan.
The 19.5% raise for junior enlisted troops would be the largest increase in a generation. Advocates argue it is necessary to keep military pay competitive amid high inflation and a strong job market Opponents counter it is unaffordable and could undermine retention and morale among more senior personnel.
Junior enlisted troops typically make between $20,000 and $30,000 per year. The 19.5% boost would increase their pay by $3,000 to $6,000 annually, providing meaningful help given their modest incomes. Proponents say it would lift some families out of poverty and reduce the need for food stamps or other public assistance.
Bipartisan Support for a Pay Raise
There is agreement across the aisle that a pay raise is needed for 2025, even though the details are different. Both Democrats and Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee agree that military pay has not kept up with wage growth in the private sector.
In fact, a bipartisan House panel spent months in 2024 studying military quality-of-life issues. The resulting report highlighted pay inadequacy as a major concern negatively impacting recruiting and retention. This helped build momentum for including a sizable pay raise in this year’s NDAA.
While the 19.5% raise passed the Democrat-controlled House, the Democrat-led Senate is expected to propose a smaller increase. The White House has also recommended a more modest raise in the 5-10% range. So the final amount will likely be a compromise between the House and Senate versions.
Other Notable NDAA Provisions
In addition to the pay raise, the House NDAA contains other provisions aimed at improving quality-of-life for servicemembers:
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Expanding eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance to help alleviate food insecurity
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Requiring better maintenance of military housing and barracks
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Increasing access to childcare on bases
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Enhancing employment help for military spouses
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Easing troops’ ability to transfer professional licenses between states
Meanwhile, House Republicans added several controversial policy provisions unlikely to be accepted by the Senate, such as blocks on funding for abortion travel and transgender medical care.
Outlook for Final Passage
Despite some partisan differences, lawmakers are optimistic the NDAA will ultimately pass before Christmas as it does every year. There is too much at stake to allow defense funding and policies to lapse.
The pay raise for junior enlisted troops has strong momentum. The final amount may be lower than 19.5% given concerns about cost and pressure from the White House. But a double-digit percentage increase is quite possible based on the House bill and public support.
Passing the 2025 NDAA will require good-faith negotiations between the Chambers. But lawmakers know servicemembers are counting on them to fulfill the nation’s promises and provide fair compensation. Boosting incomes for junior enlisted personnel remains a high priority for Congress and the American people.
$768 billion defense bill passed by House includes pay increase for military members
FAQ
Will the military get a pay raise in 2024?
The military pay raise has matched ECI every year for nearly a decade. It’s a lagging indicator – the 5. 2% raise servicemembers received in 2024 matches the September 2022 ECI, for example, and the proposed 4. 5% raise for the coming year matches the September 2023 ECI.
Did the house pass a military bill?
Is the 2025 military pay raise approved?
Junior enlisted troops will see a 14. five percent pay raise in 2020 as part of a deal negotiated by House and Senate leaders in this year’s defense authorization bill. This move will add between three and six thousand dollars to the basic pay of younger service members next year.
Is the military getting a 19.5% pay raise?
Among many provisions, this year’s NDAA includes a 19. 5% pay raise for junior enlisted troops and a 4. 5% pay increase for all other servicemembers, reforms the cost-of-living allowance for our men and women in uniform to account for out-of-control inflation, and fully covers servicemember housing in accordance with .
What does a military pay increase mean for enlisted service members?
The main bill, which passed the House Armed Services Committee last month with a vote of 57 to 1, is meant to make a big difference in the quality of life for service members. A cornerstone initiative of that is the pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4. 5% increase for other military roles.
What is a military pay raise?
The sweeping legislation authorizes a 5. 2% pay raise for members of the military – the largest raise for service members in more than two decades – as part of a wide range of provisions related to service member pay and benefits, housing and childcare.
Does the NDAA have a pay raise?
“And frankly, from the House side, we didn’t do a good enough job of protecting it in the NDAA. ” The fiscal 2025 proposal would implement a 19. 5% pay raise for junior enlisted members while also including a 4. 5% pay raise for other officers.
Will NDAA increase pay for junior enlisted troops?
A marquee provision of this year’s bill is a 19. 5% pay increase for junior enlisted troops. The NDAA is traditionally a widely bipartisan effort, but the fight over culture war provisions alienated Democrats up to the White House, which issued statements opposing those and other similar measures in the bill.
Will a pay raise be a big deal in 2025?
The fiscal 2025 proposal would implement a 19. 5% pay raise for junior enlisted members while also including a 4. 5% pay raise for other officers. Those increases would be the largest pay raise in a generation, but it’s already facing pushback from the White House as being too costly.
Will a 55% pay increase a junior military member?
However, that iteration is likely to include only a 5. 5% pay raise for junior military members, setting the stage for a showdown with the lower chamber as they try to reach an agreement.
