Mike Garcia: “I thank my fellow naval aviator from Virginia for this precious time. Madam Speaker, today I rise as a formal naval…”

“I thank my fellow naval aviator from Virginia for this precious time. Madam Speaker, today I rise as a formal naval officer who is concerned for our enlisted troops, and particularly our junior enlisted troops within the Department of Defense, the soldiers, the sailors, the airmen, the marines, the space guardians. As a massive government rolls forward spending more and more and gathering more and more debt, our enlisted troops continue to do the tough work of providing Americans their security blanket. Just last night, we had nine Army soldiers killed in a tragic training accident in a Black Hawk helicopter in Kentucky. They make such great sacrifices on a daily basis, and our enlisted folks are doing this work for almost no compensation. When I reflect on just how little our junior enlisted ranks earn, I am left begging the question, Madam Speaker, who is providing them with their security? What lobbyist group is advocating for junior enlisted personnel, who when they first join the military are making about $23,000 a year? Madam Speaker, I know you are familiar with this, having served your country, but this is a pay table from the DOD for fiscal year 2023 showing what our enlisted troops make, and you can see when they first join, they are actually making less than $21,000 a year.…”