Hegseth slams 'shameful' advice to soldiers on seeking food stamps to deal with inflation

As a young NCO, we went from 2 incomes to one when my twins arrived. Since we had 2 cars, we didn't qualify for assistance. I ended up working a second job for 8 months until the budget got back under control. I would say the silver lining is that it made me more empathetic as a Senior NCO when dealing with Soldier issues

You make it sound OK. It's not. Entry level jobs should cover normal expenses, especially if the employee writes a blank check for everything up to and including their lives.

MAJ Montgomery Granger - I would say that 90% of the need is based on living higher than your means -- a tough budgeting lesson for young Soldiers. The other 10% are significant life events and AER can handle most of those.

And isn't that the problem? Enlisted pay needs to reflect the reality of the economic times. How can soldiers perform on the battlefield if their families are starving?

MAJ Montgomery Granger they won't get higher pay though, when you compare junior enlisted to that of the private sector without factoring the benefits they receive then it should be increased. However when you factor in the BAH and the Tricare with other benefits they make they shouldn't. Some spouses should work depending on how remote the assigned base is. If the enlisted and their families are stationed in a major metro area than theirs no excuse as to why the spouse can't work. Especially with how many places are adapting to remote work policies. It's a perfect environment for military spouses if they have the skills or qualifications. Also if the spouse is a federal employee, federal employees will now be getting a childcare based of income. The more you make the less you receive. If the individual makes over 75,000 they get nothing. So again there isn't an excuse. Unless the spouse is just a dependoplious or something.