The House Armed Services Committee's Quality of Life Panel released its military Quality of Life report. The panel unveiled its policy recommendations for improving the quality of life of service members and their families.
I wholeheartedly endorse the Quality of Life Panel's recommendations. These are not just suggestions but urgent calls for action. They will form the bedrock of the FY25 NDAA, a crucial step towards enhancing the quality of life for our service members and their families. Improving the quality of life is not just a job but a duty of the utmost importance for Congress. Colorado's Fifth District is home to one of the highest concentrations of veterans and active service members in any Congressional District in our nation. I aim to improve the quality of life for those living in Fort Carson, U.S. Air Force Academy, Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, Peterson Space Force Base and Schriever Space Force Base. Our service members urgently need access to proper health care, childcare, housing and compensation.
Consider the 31,780 active duty service members in El Paso County. The pay for junior service members has fallen behind the civilian labor market, impacting their morale and financial stability. By working to improve service member compensation, specifically by increasing basic pay for junior enlisted service members by 15 percent, we can restore their confidence and financial security. I am also in favor of expanding allowances for food and housing, and improving the cost of living calculation, all of which will significantly improve their quality of life.
In Colorado, there are 20,490 spouses of service members. I am working to ensure they have proper employment. Twenty-two percent of spouses are unemployed, and it can take seven months or more to secure a new job after a relocation. These issues can be fixed by expanding DoD programs that provide employment support to military spouses. I am working to make it easier for the transfer of professional licenses across states, as well as expanding access to childcare.
Military families struggle to access reliable and affordable childcare due to the nationwide shortage of childcare workers. FY25 NDAA will increase access to childcare. There are 30,349 children of military families. However, there are excessive wait times for both on-installation childcare programs and fee assistance. There is also a nationwide shortage of childcare workers. I support fully funding childcare assistance program fees for eligible military families. We should also amend the law to ensure that pay for childcare staff at DoD facilities is competitive with that of the private industry. I also support expanding DoD childcare workers' access to childcare.
DoD must meet its commitment to maintain timely access to quality healthcare for our service members and their families. Service members and their families sometimes face weeks to months-long wait times for medical care. This is unacceptable in Colorado. A nationwide shortage in medical care providers impacts the ability of DoD to recruit and retain providers. I support expanding access to specialty providers to fix these glaring healthcare issues-increasing oversight of healthcare accessibility and reevaluating the hiring and retaining authorization for civilian medical providers.
The current state of military housing, especially unaccompanied housing, is unacceptable and threatens the health and safety of our service members. This failure to fully fund facilities, sustainment, restoration and modernization has left a nearly $140 billion backlog in required maintenance across department-owned infrastructure. I am working to fix this issue by requiring Joe Biden's budget to fully fund the FSRM account to reduce the backlog of necessary maintenance. I will also work toward improving transparency and oversight of FSRM funds.
I will continue working to ensure that the service members and their families of Colorado Springs receive proper care by sponsoring and supporting the House Armed Services Committee's Quality of Life report.