House approves pay raises for U.S. military

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The largest pay bump for American military members in more than two decades was approved by the House of Representatives Thursday.

The bill has already passed the senate with a price tag of just more than $886 billion.

It includes a pay raise for the military of more than 5%.

“There are men and women on the front lines across this nation and across the world who are doing the work of this nation,” said Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee from Texas.

The bill also gives many members additional pay allowances to help with off-base housing and meeting monthly expenses, a move that could boost lagging recruitment numbers.

“Of the five defense department service branches, only two, the Marine Corps and Space Force, met their active duty enlistment recruitment goals for the fiscal year 2023,” Georgia Republican Rep. Rick McCormick said. “It makes zero sense to artificially limit the reach of our military recruitment advertisements,”

The bill also creates a path for eight-thousand service members discharged for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine while on active duty to be fully reinstated.

The bill does not have several controversial provisions related to abortion services and transgender health care for service members that were included in a house defense bill that passed over the summer.

The bill does include aid for Ukraine through the end of 2026, but funding for a separate $105 billion national security package covering both Ukraine and Israel aid remains mired in bi-partisan contention.

“I’m very disappointed that we are breaking for the holidays without additional Ukraine funding without additional Israel funding without additional humanitarian aid funding,” said New York Democrat Rep. Gregory Meeks.

The bill now goes to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.