Today, Representative Mike Garcia (CA-27) voted in favor of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Rep. Garcia secured the highest pay raise in American history for our junior enlisted troops with the passage of this bill.

“This strong defense bill rightfully prioritizes the true mission of our military: Deterring and winning wars,” said Rep. Garcia. “More specifically, it prioritizes America’s greatest national security asset: Our brave men and women in uniform.

“My amendment’s inclusion in this bill – which would effectively implement my RAISE Act – secured the highest pay raise in history for nearly one million of our junior enlisted troops. This pay raise is not just appropriate, but necessary amid our military’s record-low recruitment and retention. It’s unacceptable that our heroes in uniform, who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom, were making less than fast food workers.

“This bill rights that wrong, but there is still much work to be done. I couldn’t be more proud of this historic victory, and I couldn’t be more eager to continue fighting for those who fight so hard to protect us.”

Rep. Garcia’s amendment will raise the entry level pay for E-1’s from approximately $22,000 per year to over $31,000 per year – an average pay raise of more than 30 percent.

America’s military morale and readiness have declined over the past two years to some of the lowest levels since WWII. This comes while Pentagon leaders issued guidance to troops on how to cope with inflation eating their paychecks; Army leaders even suggested soldiers and their families consider going on food stamps. 

The FY24 NDAA includes funding for several programs that will bring jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact to the district. The following was included in the bill:

• $16,842,000 for the U-2 Dragon program
• $416,010,000 to fund three MQ-4 Tritons
• $2,325,093,000 in funding for the B-21 Raider program
• $3,739,285,000 for the GBSD program
• $864,485,000 for Apache helicopters 
• $9,955,657 for Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps F-35s
• Full funding for critical classified programs