PLEASE do not strip the Danger Pay stipend, which can be up to $225 per month from approx. 56,000 service members. I would respectfully request that you consider that a service member’s base salary, a low of roughly $18,000 a year for a brand new recruit, is only slightly above the poverty level for a single individual; and is below the national poverty level for a family of 3.
We understand the Pentagon is eyeing plans to eliminate Danger Pay for service members in as many as 18 countries and 5 waterways around the world, in an effort to save about $120 million each year. However the $225 monthly cut in pay would take a significant bite out of troops’ salaries. I am sure there are many OTHER areas in the Defense budget that could be trimmed before troop salaries.