Senate lawmakers backed plans for a 5.2% pay raise in their first draft of the annual defense authorization bill but held back on more aggressive plans to boost junior enlisted pay, opting instead to study the idea of higher base salaries for the lowest-paid service members. Officials from the Senate Armed Services Committee unveiled their plans for the massive defense budget policy bill in late June, following three days of mostly behind-the-scenes work on the legislation. It follows the House Armed Services Committee's adoption of its own draft, containing the same provisions for a 5.2% pay boost. President Joe Biden also recommended a 5.2% raise in his budget proposal earlier this year, as has the House Appropriations Committee. That matches federal estimates for keeping military pay on pace with the rise in civilian wages in recent years.
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