The proposed measures include a significant wage boost, more employment support for struggling military families, and increased housing and childcare aid.
They build on initiatives included in bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act bundles of recent years.
The critical annual law features a number of provisions to assist service personnel and their families who are experiencing financial hardship, despite the fact that the House’s most recent defense bill has drawn criticism for its debatable social policy modifications.
Additionally, President Joe Biden unveiled a series of executive initiatives last month with the goal of making it simpler for military spouses to land and keep jobs, a crucial aspect of boosting families’ financial security.
Advocates for the nation’s more than 1.3 million active-duty personnel and their more than 1.5 million family members believe the support is urgently needed.
Many military personnel are finding it difficult to pay for the sharp increases in the costs of necessities like child care, food, and housing.
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Major Concerns for Military Families
Additionally, during a time when the military is having trouble recruiting new members, advocates point out that enhancing financial stability is crucial to recruitment and retention efforts.
According to Blue Star Families’ most recent study, which helps service members, veterans, and their families, financial concerns are a major concern for many active-duty military families.
Three of the top five issues for 2022 were financial in nature, and a fourth was mostly financial in nature.
In 2022, 48% of active-duty military families cited spouse employment as their top concern, up from 43% in 2017. It outperformed the 45% of respondents who stated the duration of time spent away from family previous year.
A rise from 24% in 2021 to 40% named military pay. Furthermore, 40% of respondents indicated that worries about off-base housing and the basic allowance for housing, which were raised for the first time last year, were top issues.
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Source: www.msn.com