WASHINGTON — The House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee’s portion of the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act would raise military pay by 4.6% and support a proposed cut of 12,000 Army soldiers.
The pay increase, the largest the military has seen in 20 years but well short of the current inflation rate, mirrors President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2023 budget request. But lawmakers, including House Armed Services ranking member Mike D. Rogers, R-Ala., have said the increase is inadequate given inflation, which is running above 8%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A subcommittee aide told reporters that there is congressional interest in potentially raising the level of military pay further, but no proposals to do so have emerged so far.
