OPINION | This article contains the author's opinion.
The White House has vowed to veto legislation from House Republicans that would grant a 30% pay raise to junior enlisted military personnel in the coming year.
The pay increase would ensure that the lowest-earning service members would make at least $15 an hour for a 40-hour workweek.
In a press release addressing the proposed bill, the White House stated, “If the president were presented with H.R. 4365, he would veto it.” (Poll: Was Trump better than Biden? VOTE)
Social media has erupted with negative backlash against Biden’s poor list of priorities. Apparently, America’s heroes aren’t worthy of a pay increase to $15 an hour.
The legislation in question is part of the Pentagon spending bill, previously advanced by the House Appropriations Committee, and scheduled for a full House vote.
The bill includes language guaranteeing that no military member earns less than the equivalent of $15 per hour for a 40-hour work week.
Under this legislation, an E-1 with a minimum of four months of service would see their pay increase to $2,601 per month, compared to the current $1,918. Similarly, an E-6 with less than two years of service would receive $3,210 per month instead of the current $2,980.
The White House has raised objections, citing the bill’s inclusion of “partisan policy provisions with devastating consequences, including harming access to reproductive health care, threatening the health and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) Americans, endangering marriage equality, hindering critical climate change initiatives and preventing the administration from promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.”
And added “a significant, permanent change to the basic pay schedule” while a military compensation review is already underway, slated to conclude by January 2025. Additionally, the White House contends that the bill lacks adequate funding to cover the increased salaries, potentially “would create an unfunded requirement of several billion dollars.” (Poll: Who Should Win the Presidency In 2024? VOTE)
The bill “pay compression in some areas of the enlisted military basic pay table,” removing an “important incentive for enlisted members to seek increased responsibilities and earn promotions at the grade of E-6 and higher, harming military readiness.”
The bill’s stipulations may result in “pay compression in some areas of the enlisted military basic pay table,” removing an “important incentive for enlisted members to seek increased responsibilities and earn promotions at the grade of E-6 and higher, harming military readiness.”
The White House has also expressed disapproval of the salary increase for junior enlisted members, stating that it acknowledges “concern for the needs of the nation’s most junior enlisted members’ compensation,” but “strongly opposes making a significant, permanent change to the basic pay schedule” while reviewing military compensation.
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