Derrick Van Orden: “I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding time. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8070, the…”

“I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding time. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. As the longest-serving enlisted member of the military in the history of Congress, I bring a very unique perspective to this problem set, and I get the chance here to stand and speak about the differences that we may share when it comes to sending billions of dollars to other countries for them to fight their wars. We can have that discussion, and I respect both sides of that argument, but nobody in this body can reasonably argue that any member of the United States military should be living below the poverty line as they defend our freedom and the very House that we stand in today debating this bill. To frame the problem that our servicemembers face, a civilian can apply for an entry-level position job at a convenience store in my district and receive higher compensation than if they were to join the United States military. As I was serving as an Active-Duty Navy SEAL being shot at in combat, my wife was standing in line to buy food products using WIC coupons. I simply view this as unacceptable. In addition to my experience as a servicemember, I serve on the Agriculture Committee. As we were debating the farm bill, we were talking about additional SNAP benefits for members of the military. That is just the symptom.…”