"Defense Budget Plan: Troop Bonuses, Ukraine Aid, and Space Force Budget Cuts"
Lawmakers have included plans for monthly bonuses for junior enlisted troops in the latest federal appropriations bill, with funding for the initiative included in the $824 billion defense budget proposal for fiscal 2024. The bill also covers troops’ 5.2% pay raise this year and addresses the low pay of some enlisted troops as a "crisis." The Department of Defense is urged to work with Congress to provide legislative options for increasing junior enlisted basic military pay and incentivizing new recruits. The appropriations bill includes $43 million for the program, allowing the Defense Secretary to award monthly economic hardship bonuses to junior enlisted troops, with the exact amounts and timing to be determined.