Central South Dakota News

The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) has approved legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) to provide back pay for military officers whose promotions were delayed in the Senate. The Military Personnel Confirmation and Restoration Act was incorporated into the committee version of the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was officially filed on July 8. This provision will also adjust the affected service members’ time in grade and other administrative matters.

“I am pleased that the Military Personnel Confirmation and Restoration Act is included in our Armed Services committee version of the FY25 Senate NDAA,” said Rounds. “These nominations for our military members were initially held up due to policy differences. Though their promotions and nominations are no longer stalled, many military officers spent much of 2023 waiting on positions they had earned through exemplary service to our country, often in combat zones, over the last two decades. This legislation would make certain they and their families receive the benefits they missed out on for several months.”

“I’m proud our bipartisan Military Personnel Confirmation and Restoration Act has been included in the FY25 Senate NDAA,” said Manchin. “This important legislation will provide well-earned retroactive promotion dates and back pay for our nation’s senior military officers after many promotions were blocked for months. These men and women are true American heroes, and we have a responsibility in Congress to make them whole. I will continue doing everything in my power to ensure the passage of our bill to compensate our troops and strengthen America’s national security.”

Rounds and Manchin initially introduced the Military Personnel Confirmation and Restoration Act as a standalone bill in December 2023. The legislation passed unanimously in the Senate later that month but remains stalled in the House.

The FY25 NDAA was reported out of the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 13, 2024. This marks the tenth NDAA that Rounds has contributed to as a member of the committee. At the start of the 118th Congress, Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia’s Center for Effective Lawmaking named Rounds as one of the most effective Republicans on defense issues. The FY25 NDAA now proceeds to the full Senate for consideration.

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