BIDEN SIGNS JUNIOR ENLISTED PAY RAISE BILL, BUT IT COULD BAN TRANSGENDER CARE FOR YOUTH

The Senate Armed Services Committee has hinted that reforms to junior enlisted pay raise policies will be under consideration during the annual defense policy bill debate process. Specifically, the question the panel is considering is whether there is a better model to give pay raises to lower-ranking service members. Lawmakers are now signaling just how serious they are about increasing the quality of life in the military.

Next year, junior enlisted troops can expect to see a massive raise, and a ban on some health care services for transgender children of service members after President Joe Biden signed the annual defense policy bill last Monday. Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law after Congress approved a House-Senate version of the bill earlier in December. Keep on reading to learn more about which troops will receive a pay raise, how the NDAA will impact pay rates, and what services the bill bans.

What Are the Current Junior Enlisted Pay Raise Policies?

For years, service members of all ranks have gotten the same annual raise. The problem is that in raising pay by the same percentage for all service members, a large and continuously growing gap has been created between the highest-paid troops and the lowest-paid ones.

Additionally, the current junior enlisted pay raise policies do not keep pace with the economy, despite recent hikes in the raise percentage. This year, troops got a historic 14.5% pay raise, and all other service members got a 4.5% pay raise in January. This rate is required under a separate law that gives troops the annual raise they are entitled to.

The 14.5% pay raise for junior troops was a compromise between the Senate and the House after many months of negotiations. House lawmakers had called for a 19.5% pay hike, to counter inflation and the rising cost of living. Ultimately, the Senate countered with a 5.5% pay raise.

The Servicemembers Quality of Life Improvement Act was proposed by Congress, enacting many of the key recommendations from the military-quality-of-life report. This includes giving servicemembers a 15% raise in their base pay. As of May 2024, it was proposed that in addition to the 15% increase for the junior enlisted pay raise in early 2025, the House Armed Services Committee would add another 4.5% increase across the board. This would lift next year’s total to a 19.5% pay hike for some of the lowest earning troops in the military. The junior enlisted pay raise is expected to be added to paychecks in April of 2025.

To close the gap between troops and ensure that quality of life for junior troops is attractive, lawmakers in recent years have proposed overhauling the pay chart to give targeted raises to junior enlisted troops.

Past efforts by lawmakers to give a military junior enlisted pay raise have been hindered by resistance from Pentagon officials who argue major changes to the pay chart would be premature, as an ongoing comprehensive review of military pay is expected to be done by early 2025.

However, backing from the leadership of both the House and the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee could make these efforts more successful next year.

What Will the Junior Enlisted Pay Increase Look Like?

The committee will not only be looking at incentive pay in terms of the junior enlisted pay increase, but it will also be looking at whether pay increases have to be uniform across all ranks.

When asked about the quality-of-life bill, committee Chairman Mike Rogers explained, "Servicemembers should never have to worry about making ends meet, putting food on the table, or affording housing. Improving the quality of life for our service members and their families is my number one priority -- we're going to get this done."

However, there is an issue with the proposed pay increase. Lawmakers have to contend with budget caps they previously agreed to for the year, which could make the junior enlisted pay raise reforms a multi-year process.

The strict budget caps agreed upon by Congress limit the scope to give additional, targeted pay increases to troops. Another military quality-of-life issue that is being threatened by congressional budget caps is the Army's request to improve crumbling barracks in 2025.

These initiatives are important for strengthening the living conditions of service members and their families.

So, If Budget Is a Problem, What’s Next?

Congress members recognize the need for both financial and housing reforms in the military. At the same time, they recognize the dilemmas that arise when recognition of these needs comes at a crossroads with budget caps.

To achieve these goals, either difficult trade-offs within the defense budget may be required or the living conditions and financial stability of troops are at risk.

Under these budgetary restrictions, balancing enhancements in servicemembers' welfare–such as the junior enlisted pay raise–with the procurement of crucial military hardware presents a challenge.

Biden Signs Bill to Raise Junior Enlisted Pay, But Will Ban Transgender Treatments for Youth

Included in the bill that Biden signed are additional recommendations that could reap great benefits for troops. These recommendations include: updating the barracks, requiring salaries for child-care workers on bases, making it easier for military spouses to use their professional licenses in other states, and allowing troops to seek out specialty health care without a referral.

In addition to these recommendations, the Basic Allowance for Housing will cover 100% of housing costs, increasing from the current 95% coverage.

While the pay raise bill gained bipartisan support, the final version of the NDAA became more partisan as House Republicans included a provision that will prohibit TRICARE from covering certain forms of healthcare for transgender children of service members. The bill includes specific provisions that prohibits TRICARE from covering any treatments for transgender minors that “could result in sterilization.” However, the bill does not specifically specify what treatments would qualify.

Biden released a statement after signing the bill explaining his opposition to the TRICARE restrictions stating, “The provision targets a group based on that group's gender identity and interferes with parents' roles to determine the best care for their children,” he said. “This section undermines our all-volunteer military's ability to recruit and retain the finest fighting force the world has ever known by denying health care coverage to thousands of our service members' children. No service member should have to decide between their family's health care access and their call to serve our Nation.”

A majority of House Democrats voted against the NDAA, due to the ban on youth transgender healthcare services. However, when asked to explain their view on the legislation more in-depth, many expressed that the legislation was beneficial overall, as the good tended to overweigh the bad.

What Issues Does the 2025 NDAA Aim to Address?

The 2025 version of the NDAA will focus on quality-of-life issues for service members, as well as the pay raise for junior enlisted troops. However, the bill is aimed at expanding eligibility for Basic Needs Allowance, as well as providing the Pentagon with the funds they need to provide free Wi-Fi to service members in all barracks.

Additional quality-of-life improvements will include: overall renovations to barracks; however; funding is not expected to be fully provided until Congress passes a full-year appropriations for the bill. The NDAA for the new year will also end copays for birth control for military families, and money will be put towards studying how brain injuries can be prevented among service members, in addition to the junior enlisted pay raise.

Related reads:

• Freedom Isn’t Free, But Now the Wi-Fi Is for Troops Living in Barracks\
• 2025 National Defense Authorization Act Passes House & Senate, Excludes Transgender Care for Minors
• Proposed Defense Bill Could Make Free Birth Control Available for Military Families

Updated by Lauren Piette