No Service Member
Should Qualify for
Food Stamps
They volunteered to defend the Constitution. The least we owe them is a paycheck that keeps their family off welfare, a house that isn't full of mold, and the right to ask for help without losing their career.
The All-Volunteer Force Is Breaking
One in four Army recruits leaves within two years. The military bleeds $3–5 billion a year replacing people it already trained. Cyber units sit 16% empty. Only 23% of young Americans even qualify for service. And public trust has dropped from 70% to 48%. This isn't about patriotism. It's about the deal we're offering.
One in four Army recruits leaves within two years. Each lost soldier costs $50,000–$500,000 to replace. That's billions in wasted training and broken units.
Recruiting and training replacements for people who leave before finishing their enlistment. Money that could go to the troops who stayed.
Only 23% of Americans aged 17–24 meet military eligibility criteria. The recruiting pool is shrinking. Retention is the only math that works.
Down from over 70% in 2018. When the public doesn't trust that the military keeps its promises, recruiting collapses.
Stamps
Junior enlisted families qualify for SNAP while their loved one wears the uniform. That's not a budget line. That's a moral failure.
End Military Poverty
A new Junior Enlisted Family Supplement puts $200–$300 per month into the pockets of every E-1 through E-4 with dependents. A one-time 2.5% basic pay bump on top of regular raises. And a hard floor: no active-duty member with a family should earn below 130% of the federal poverty line. The supplement counts toward retirement. It doesn't count against food assistance. Your service should lift your family up—not trap them.
Phase 1
Phase 2
Full Rate
+2.5% Pay Bump
One-time increase for E-1 through E-4, on top of normal annual raises. Takes effect October 1, 2027. Doesn't compound with future adjustments.
Poverty Floor
No active-duty member with dependents should have total compensation below 130% of the federal poverty level. Annual review by the Secretary. Corrective action required.
Counts for Retirement
The supplement is treated as basic pay for tax and retirement purposes. It builds your future, not just your present paycheck.
Protects Benefits
The supplement is not counted as income for SNAP or other means-tested programs. You don't lose food help just because the government finally started paying you fairly.
Fix the Housing. Support the Family.
BAH should cover 95% of actual housing costs. Privatized housing companies should face real consequences for mold, lead, and broken infrastructure. Child care should cost less than 7% of income. Military spouses should be able to keep their careers across every PCS move. This Title does all four—for $200 million a year.
BAH Adequacy
Policy: BAH covers 95% of median costs. High-cost supplement up to $500/month where BAH falls below 90%. Priority: CA, HI, DC metro.
Housing Oversight
Independent advocacy offices. 72-hour health/safety repairs. Rent abatement when uninhabitable. Annual report cards on every housing company. Exit without penalty.
Child Care Access
Fees capped at 5% of income under $75K, 7% under $100K. Waitlist target: 90 days by FY 2030. Off-base fee assistance when on-base is full.
Spouse Employment
Portable licensure support across states. Remote work pilot program. Federal hiring preference at installations. Career counseling for every PCS.
Sustainable Housing
Water-efficient fixtures, solar-ready roofs, Energy Star appliances. Cuts operating costs 15–25%. Cost-neutral within existing MILCON budgets.
Stop Disqualifying People Who Can Do the Job
The military doubled its waivers from 8,400 to 17,900 in two years because MHS Genesis now flags every childhood diagnosis. Resolved asthma. Managed ADHD. A food allergy with a solid plan. If a recruit can pass the physical fitness test and perform military duties today, they should be presumed qualified. This Title shifts from “what did you once have” to “what can you do right now.”
❌ The Old Way
Automatic disqualification for historical diagnoses. Childhood asthma in remission for years? Rejected. ADHD managed without medication? Rejected. MHS Genesis flags every doctor visit since birth. Waivers take months. Applicants give up. The Army doubled waivers to 17,900 just to make mission.
✅ Present Capability Standard
Can you pass the fitness test? Can you do military duties? Is your condition resolved or managed? Then you're presumed qualified. Evidence-based review within 18 months. 30-day waiver target. Appeal rights for denials. MHS Genesis recalibrated to focus on actual fitness—not medical archaeology.
Seeking Treatment Is Protected
Fear kills more service members than combat. Fear of losing a clearance. Fear of getting passed over. Fear of being seen as weak. This Title says clearly: if you voluntarily seek mental health treatment, that act alone can never be used to separate you, deny your clearance, remove your assignment, or tank your evaluation. Period.
Career Protection
Voluntary treatment-seeking alone cannot be the basis for separation, clearance denial, assignment removal, or adverse evaluation. Written documentation required for any action within 24 months.
Clearance Safety
Mental health treatment creates no presumption of unsuitability. Whole-person evaluation looks at judgment, reliability, and trustworthiness—not diagnosis codes.
Peer Support
Trained peers who've been through it. Connected to chaplains, Military OneSource, and clinical care. $20 million per year to expand the programs that actually work.
Stigma Reduction
Leader training at every level. Embedded behavioral health at battalion level. $30 million per year for outreach campaigns showing treatment as strength, not weakness.
Culturally Responsive
Providers trained in Indigenous trauma and rural dynamics. IHS partnerships. Traditional healing as a complement. Secure telehealth for remote and tribal areas. $10M/year.
“Seeking mental health treatment is a protected act of strength. The bravery to seek help deserves the same respect as bravery in combat.”— Section 503, Declaration of Policy: A Covenant Renewed
The Highest Service Rate. The Least Support.
Indigenous Americans serve at the highest per capita rate of any group in the country. They've served since the Revolution. Yet they face the worst transition support, the fewest VA facilities near tribal lands, and cultural disconnection in every standard program. This bill weaves Indigenous provisions into every Title—not as an afterthought, but as an obligation owed.
Tribal Liaison Officers
At least one at every installation within 100 miles of tribal lands. They coordinate transition assistance, VA and Indian Health Service access, and Indigenous language and cultural programs.
Homecoming Program
Culturally responsive transition counseling built with tribal elders, not for them. Agricultural skills for food sovereignty. Military credential recognition for tribal land management and emergency services.
Culturally Responsive Care
Mental health providers trained in intergenerational trauma. IHS partnerships. Traditional healing offered as a complement to clinical care. Telehealth for geographic barriers.
Sovereignty Always Respected
All programs fully voluntary. Government-to-government consultation per Executive Order 13175. No diminishment of treaty rights. No interference with tribal authority. $15 million per year.
Paid For. Capped. Cannot Add to the Debt.
A temporary 0.1% surtax on income above $5 million. Attrition savings that pay back 6-to-1 or better. A hard spending cap written into law that physically prevents this bill from adding a single dollar to the national debt. GAO triennial review. 10-year sunset. If it doesn't work, it dies.
What It Costs (10 Years)
Where the Money Comes From
The Covenant Renewed
They Kept Their Oath. It's Time We Kept Ours.
The crisis isn't patriotism. It's the deal we're offering. This bill fixes the deal—with money that's already there, controls that prevent abuse, and a sunset that kills it if it fails.