The Pentagon says that it’s finally ready to pay troops the “economic hardship bonuses” that Congress authorized last year to help offset rising prices and higher costs of living across the country.
But the sums troops will get seem unlikely to make a major impact, putting renewed attention on lawmakers to do more. A senior defense official told Military.com in an interview Friday that troops in the most junior ranks — E-1 to E-3 — will automatically see the bonus in their paychecks starting this month and going through December but, on average, they will be getting only $20 a month.
“The monthly bonus amounts, on average, will total approximately $120 [over the six months] … and they’re based on the funding Congress has made available,” explained the official, who spoke with Military.com on the condition they remain anonymous.
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Lawmakers on Capitol Hill, concerned that service member pay was not keeping pace with the private sector or inflation, included $43 million in the latest defense spending bill to provide the bonuses for anyone up to E-6 in rank.
Though Congress authorized the bonuses in December in the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, it didn’t provide funding for the benefit until late March, when lawmakers finally passed a bill to fund the Pentagon through the remainder of fiscal 2024, leading to the…
