Fights over diversity training, COVID-19 and LGBTQ+ troops dominated the House Armed Services Committee's yearly markup of its annual defense policy bill as lawmakers debated on into the night Wednesday.
But Republicans and Democrats on the panel ultimately agreed to several bipartisan measures that improve bread-and-butter issues for service members. The bill includes new bonuses for junior troops and one of the highest military pay raises in recent history.
After a marathon session, the committee voted 58-1 early Thursday to approve its version of the $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, sending the must-pass bill to the full House for expected passage later this summer. The lone “no” vote came from Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
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The bonuses would go to E-6s and below who are adversely affected by the economy, and a 5.2% raise in base pay for all service members would be the biggest bump in two decades.
Other quality-of-life proposals in the bill include allowing more flexibility to adjust the Basic Allowance for Housing to respond to housing market conditions. The bill would also exclude the housing allowance from income calculations for a stipend to help food insecure troops, which advocates have said has limited the number of service members eligible for the two-year-old Basic Needs Allowance by distorting the true picture of their…
