Amata Welcomes House Passage of Military Pay Raise

Press Release

Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata welcomed bipartisan House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022, which will raise military pay by 2.7 percent. The House passed the bill by a vote of 363-70 with the support of 194 Republicans and 169 Democrats, and the bill now goes to the Senate for final approval.

This major legislation authorizes Pentagon's yearly operations across the board, including Pacific security efforts. Notably, these include $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, expressing U.S. commitment to a free and open Pacific region, codifying an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, along with other provisions dealing with strategic measures related to the government of China.

NDAA is among Congress's most significant legislation, authorizing nearly $768 billion. This version of the bill was negotiated by conference committee and is expected to pass the Senate, which will mark 61 straight years that the yearly legislation has been completed. A previous version passed the House in September.

"Our military certainly deserve this pay raise, and it will be a help to our people from American Samoa serving in the Armed Forces," said Amata. "This NDAA makes it clear that the U.S. is fully committed to the Pacific, and is focused on the security and stability necessary for the region's many trade partnerships and alliances."

The NDAA provides for all Department of Defense activities, including supporting our Armed Forces personnel; military construction and housing; weapons systems and modernization; equipment and training; health care for the military, expanded mental health assistance at bases; cybersecurity provisions; research and development; national security programs in the Department of Energy; and combating sexual assault. The bill establishes an independent commission to study the 20 years of war in Afghanistan.

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