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Don Bacon

Don Bacon

U.S. Representative (R-NE), House Armed Services Committee

Appears in 1 story

Notable Quotes

'When you have junior enlisted people on food stamps, we can't tolerate that.' — Rep. Don Bacon, January 2023

Stories

The military pay equation: Congress races to fix recruitment and retention through wallet

Rule Changes

Continuing advocacy for military quality of life issues following FY2026 NDAA passage

On January 1, 2026, every U.S. service member got a 3.8% pay raise—bringing an E-1's monthly check to $2,407. It's the third consecutive above-inflation increase Congress has delivered, part of a scramble to fix a system where junior troops qualified for food stamps and all branches except the Marines missed recruitment targets in 2023. The Army hit just 77% of its goal that year. Then Congress opened the spigot: 4.6% in 2023, 5.2% in 2024, and a historic 14.5% for junior enlisted in 2025. The strategy worked: fiscal 2025 delivered the strongest recruiting performance in 15 years, with all branches averaging 103% of goals and fiscal 2026 starting equally strong.

Updated Jan 30