Representative Mike Garcia (CA-27) secured the highest pay raise in American history for our junior enlisted troops with the passage of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy issued the following statement regarding Rep. Garcia’s work to secure this historic victory:

“In House Republicans’ Commitment to America, we made a pledge to build a nation that is safe, and today we delivered on that promise by supporting our country’s heroes through this troop funding bill. 

"Given Mike Garcia’s military service and expertise, he knows better than most how critical these resources are to our men and women in uniform. As a leader of this legislation, he developed new and improved pay tables for our servicemembers to help ensure they receive the biggest pay raise in decades, and I thank Mike for his tireless efforts to help see this provision through.”

-Speaker Kevin McCarthy


“I rise in support of this strong NDAA. It prioritizes the true mission of our U.S. military, and that is to deter and to win wars. That’s it - it’s pretty simple. 

“And, more specifically, it prioritizes America’s greatest national security asset: Our brave men and women in uniform, who serve on a daily basis. 

“And I want to thank Chairman Rogers for his support of my amendment within this en bloc that will secure the highest pay raise in history for nearly one million of our junior enlisted troops, paid for by the Appropriations bill. 

“This takes the starting salary for an E-1 in the military from about $22,000 a year to $31,200 a year. 

“It gets them above the poverty line, off food stamps, and these brave men and women are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom – and it’s unacceptable that they were making less than fast food workers. 

“I couldn’t be more proud of this historic victory, and I couldn't be more eager, Mr. Speaker, to continue fighting for those who fight so hard to give us our security blanket.”

Please find more information about this legislation here.