Leaders expect big enlisted pay raise won’t cause new financial woes

Service officials don’t anticipate that the military’s recently enacted junior enlisted pay raise will hurt young families’ ability to qualify for federal nutrition assistance programs, but promised they will closely monitor the issue to ensure the extra money doesn’t cause unintended problems.

During testimony before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, senior enlisted officials from each of the armed forces testified on quality-of-life initiatives and efforts to help families facing challenges because of the rigors of military life.

Those included a congressionally approved pay raise for junior enlisted troops that went into effect this month. Under legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden last year, troops ranked E-4 and below saw a 10% boost in monthly salaries, compared to their 2024 paychecks.

The move will bring paychecks for nearly all troops to more than $30,000 annually. E-2s with two years in service now have a base salary rise of about $31,000, up from $27,000 last year. E-4s with three years in the ranks saw their pay rise from $35,000 a year to more than $40,000 now.

But lawmakers on Tuesday expressed concerns that the higher pay could also eliminate some families’ eligibility for support services like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.

They warned that while the higher pay will offset some of the need for federal support services, the extra monthly money may not completely eliminate those financial hardships.

“Are we simply canceling out good intentions of pay increase?” asked Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.

Military officials said they do not believe so, but are closely monitoring the situation to ensure the extra pay doesn’t cause different financial problems.

“We’ve only had this in place since April 1, but what I would say is that we’re watching this closely,” said Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz.

“The data tells us that with any change — this raise, or maybe a spouse gets employment or gets promoted — [families] would not climb more than one bracket in their childcare fees. That’s what I have so far.”

Air Force Chief Master Sergeant David Flosi said they expect only a small number of families to be impacted negatively by the extra paycheck boost, but promised that officials are monitoring those issues to ensure such problems can be addressed.

“If a family member or a service member demonstrates a financial need, we can adjust fees for child care or other services, to make sure we head off any financial crisis,” he said.

Past department surveys have shown that up to 3% of military families have accessed federal nutrition support programs in the past.

All troops received a 4.5% pay raise in January, the third consecutive year of paycheck boosts of more than 4%. Lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee have discussed a targeted pay boost for senior enlisted troops next year, as a way to help retention among those personnel.