Daines Lauds Pay Raise for Military Personnel in Defense Authorization Bill

U.S. SENATE –U.S. Senator Steve Daines released the below statement after the Senate passed a military pay raise and his bill to increase economic prosperity for rural businesses as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026:
“We owe our servicemen and women and their families a debt of gratitude that is impossible to repay, so the least we can do is give them a pay raise. In addition, my bill to increase economic prosperity for rural communities was included, which will have an enormous impact in Montana. Senate Republicans are delivering on their promises and we’ll keep fighting to advance the commonsense America-first policies the American people voted for,”said Daines.
The NDAA includes several Montana-specific wins:
In addition, Daines’ bill to improve accountability of the CDFI Fund and expand capital access for rural and underserved communities passed as part of the NDAA. Daines introduced the CDFI Fund Transparency Act with Senator Mark Warner to require annual testimony by the Department of Treasury regarding the performance and operations of the CDFI Fund to enhance transparency and ensure taxpayers dollars are used to improve economic prosperity for small businesses in rural Montana. There are 12 CDFIs and 3 Native CDFIs headquartered in Montana, and the bill is supported by all of Montana’s credit unions and community banks. Read moreHERE.
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Contact:Matt Lloyd,Gabby Wiggins