Abe Hamadeh Praises War Department's Increased Combat Pay

Representative Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) praised the Department of War's recent increase in Hostile Fire Pay (HFP) and Imminent Danger Pay (IDP), effective Thursday.

The Context

HFP and IDP are collectively known as Combat Pay, which is a tax-exempt payment added to the base salary of all U.S. personnel in designated danger zones, not just combat troops.

According to Rep. Hamadeh's press release, the current system pays out a maximum of $225 each, or approximately $7.50 per day, and has not been updated since 2003.

Rep. Hamadeh introduced the Combat Pay Protection Act in June, which would have provided a one-time boost, followed by permanent annual increases, and covers numerous other hazardous duties, deployment-based, and special incentive pays.

In July, the War Department issued a memo announcing an increase in HFP and IDP, with Hostile Fire Pay now capped at $450 a month, double the original rate, and Imminent Danger Pay raised to $275 a month.

On Thursday, the memo went into effect.

What Hamadeh is Saying

"I am grateful that President Trump and his administration is providing this increase in pay for our men and women serving in combat, hazardous, and high-risk assignments," the Arizona congressman said in a press release, adding, "This increase is long overdue and a wise investment in America's warfighters and military families."

Other Military Efforts

In August, Hamadeh introduced the Reserve Component Fairness Act, which retroactively allows qualifying active service before January 28th, 2008, to count toward reducing the age at which a service member can receive Reserve retirement pay.

That bill addresses an issue in current law, which allows eligible members of the Ready Reserve to reduce the age at which they receive Reserve retirement pay by 3 months for every 90 days of active service, but the credit only applies to qualifying active-duty service performed while the service member was already affiliated with the Ready Reserve or the National Guard.