Biden's 'Woke, Social Justice' Policies Blamed for Military Recruitment Crisis

GOP lawmaker Mike Garcia accuses the Biden administration of opposing a significant pay raise for junior troops, contributing to the military's recruitment challenges.

President Biden's pursuit of "woke, social justice" policies is being blamed for exacerbating the military's recruitment crisis, as Republican Rep. Mike Garcia of California blasts the administration for opposing a substantial pay increase for junior troops.

Garcia, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a retired Navy pilot, has vehemently criticized the Biden administration's stance on a 19.5% pay increase for junior recruits proposed in this year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Biden's 'Woke, Social Justice' Policies Blamed for Military Recruitment Crisis

"It's wildly offensive. It's like a police chief basically saying he doesn't want to pay his cops that work for the city more than $12 an hour, which is what a starting salary [for a junior recruit is]," Garcia told Fox News Digital. "In my state, minimum wage is $20, $22 for a McDonald's worker."

Garcia argues that junior troops have been underpaid for years, creating financial hardships for many military families. Alarmingly, roughly one in eight military families with at least one child relies on food banks, according to a University of Georgia study from last year.

Biden's 'Woke, Social Justice' Policies Blamed for Military Recruitment Crisis

"We're not asking for $80 to $100 an hour, we're asking for $12 to $15 an hour, just to get them off of food stamps," Garcia said.

Despite the House's approval of the NDAA with the proposed pay raise on Friday, its fate remains uncertain as the Senate takes up its own version. The Biden administration has expressed opposition to the 19.5% increase, citing concerns about "pay compression" and the potential impact on senior enlisted service members and officers.

Biden's 'Woke, Social Justice' Policies Blamed for Military Recruitment Crisis

However, Garcia contends that junior troops have been chronically underpaid and deserve a significant pay boost to alleviate their financial struggles. He recalls his experiences in the Navy, where numerous troops in his squadron qualified for food stamps and faced financial hardship.

"I was in charge of about 30 sailors in my division — in my squadron. And literally 12 of them qualified for food stamps," Garcia said. "We were having to help kids file for bankruptcy.

Biden's 'Woke, Social Justice' Policies Blamed for Military Recruitment Crisis

"It's no coincidence when you go to a military installation… the highest concentration of payday loans are there, pawnshops are there, because these kids are just trying to figure out like, literally, how to get from one paycheck… it’s only gotten worse since then."

The White House has clarified its position, stating that it supports a pay raise for junior enlisted service members but opposes locking into a specific number before the completion of the Fourteenth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation (QRMC).

"If the President’s FY 2025 request is enacted, Servicemembers will have received a 15 percent basic pay increase in just three years. The House proposed changes would lead to pay compression in some parts of the enlisted military basic pay table," the White House said in a statement.

Garcia remains adamant that the Biden administration's opposition to the proposed pay raise is exacerbating the military's recruitment crisis and failing to address the financial struggles faced by junior troops.