U.S. Representatives Don Bacon (R-NE) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Quality of Life Panel, today released the Panel's report. Reps. Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Adam Smith (D-WA), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, applauded the Panel's work. The report, which represents the culmination of the Panel's work over the past year, includes bipartisan policy recommendations from the Panel for the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
"I know firsthand the challenges our military families face. During my time in the Air Force, my family and I made sixteen moves across the country and the globe," Rep. Don Bacon said. "Military families make unimaginable sacrifices on behalf of our nation – ensuring they're being taken care of is our number one priority. No servicemember should ever have to be on SNAP or go to food banks to feed their families. None of our 18-year-old sons or daughters should have to live in condemned barracks. Our 50-year-old All-Volunteer Force is being put under serious stress today and it is incumbent on Congress to address the pay and living conditions issues that are undermining recruitment. The Panel's bipartisan policy recommendations seek to make significant improvements in the quality of life for our servicemembers and their families."
"The strength of our military depends first and foremost on service members and their families, and the recommendations in this final report cut to the core of ensuring that strength endures. By addressing critical quality of life issues—like providing a 15 percent raise, supplying safe housing, ensuring better access to childcare, investing in spousal support programs, and improving health care services—we are proving that when we say ‘thank you for your service' we mean it. As Ranking Member of the Quality of Life Panel, I want to thank my colleagues for all the hard work that went into this comprehensive effort. I know that Rep. Bacon shares the same passion and commitment to ensuring this bipartisan report addresses the issues that most impact our service members and their families, and that in turn provides service members and their families with the resources and respect they need and deserve. I am confident that we can continue in that same spirit of bipartisanship and dedication to those who serve as we work to implement the report's recommendations going forward," Rep. Chrissy Houlahan said.
"Every servicemember in our Armed Forces made the selfless decision to serve and protect our nation. We owe it to these brave men and women to ensure they have adequate pay, safe housing, access to healthcare and childcare, and support for their spouses. Under the leadership of Rep. Bacon and Rep. Houlahan, the bipartisan Quality of Life Panel has worked hard to tackle the challenges facing military families," Chairman Mike Rogers said. "The Quality of Life Panel's recommendations will serve as the foundation of the FY25 NDAA as we aim to make strides in improving the quality of life for servicemembers and their families. This is, without a doubt, the most important job that Congress has."
"This bipartisan report places the focus on our most important resource and the heart of America's defense: service members and their families. By providing a 15 percent pay raise for service members to ensure they and their families can pay their bills, put food on the table, and invest in their future we're making sure that we recruit America's brightest. The panel's efforts to improve military housing, especially unaccompanied housing; childcare access; spousal support programs; and health care services are also critical for us to retain the most qualified, talented, and diverse fighting force. I want to thank the panel chairman and ranking member, Reps. Bacon and Houlahan, for their work over the past year and their commitment to addressing these critically important issues that transcend politics and reflect the shared values of our armed forces and our country. I look forward to working with Chairman Rogers and all our colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee in addressing the recommendations in this seminal report through our work on this year's National Defense Authorization Act and as a Committee," Ranking Member Adam Smith said.
One pagers can be found HERE.
The full report can be found HERE.
