During the House Appropriations Committee Full Committee Markup of the Department of Defense (DoD) FY2022 bill, Representative Mike Garcia (R-CA) called for a pay raise for servicemembers. Garcia offered an amendment which would require that the Secretary of Defense increase base pay to ensure that all servicemembers are making at least $15 an hour ($31,200 a year) in base pay. 
 
“I personally think it is a travesty and an insult to our military members and their families that they have to serve approximately three years and gain the rank of E4 before they are at or above what many states consider to be minimum wage. And that assumes they are working 40 hours a week, which we know most of our junior enlisted members are actually not, they are usually working anywhere from 50 – 60 hours a week given the operational tempo,” said Garcia during the hearing. 
 
Garcia highlighted current language in the bill discussing food insecurities many service members are currently facing. 
 
“We should strive as a body to see a bill come to a committee vote where we don’t have to talk about food insecurities for those who provide our freedoms at the national level,” said Garcia during the hearing. “…We also are not providing funding to our enlisted personnel for things such as school choice where it is in many cases not just desired but also needed. If the government is paying for these servicemembers to be on food stamps, we may as well be paying for them through the base pay or sustenance allowance on the front end.”
 
While Garcia’s amendment was not included in the current legislation, Garcia secured the commitment from Subcommittee on Defense Chairwoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) that she would create a working group to find a way to address the necessary military pay raise in Conference negotiations with the Senate.  
 
“I thank you very much for bringing this up, we need everybody working on this, and it is great to find an ally in you,” said McCollum to Garcia during the hearing.
 
Congressman Garcia will continue to advocate for a pay raise for servicemembers and work in Congress to ensure it is secured in the final FY2022 Defense Appropriations bill. 
 
Click here to watch Garcia’s remarks during the hearing.
 
Click here to learn more about Garcia’s efforts to support military families.