Last May, I stood with the families of Iowa’s National Guardsmen as they said goodbye to their loved ones deploying to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. This weekend, I had the honor of welcoming more than 100 of them home to Iowa.
Since that deployment, Iowa has lost four servicemembers overseas, and our state has grieved alongside their families. Today, more than 1,000 Iowa soldiers remain serving in the region.
Zoom in: These men and women sacrifice more than most people realize. They balance full-time civilian careers with the demands of military service — often giving up weekends with their families to complete the training and maintain the readiness our country depends on.
I hear it from Iowa Guard families all the time: the financial strain of serving part-time while holding down a full-time job is real, and it adds up. Yet under current law, the pay they earn during those drill weekends is still taxed by the federal government.
The solution: I’m helping lead the No Tax on Drill Pay Act to exempt drill weekend pay from federal income taxes for every National Guardsman and Reservist in America.
Why it matters: The drill weekends that prepared Iowa’s Guardsmen for deployment are the reason our military remains the most capable in the world. The men and women who show up for that training — while building careers and raising families at home — deserve to keep every dollar of their drill pay.
Bottom Line: Iowa’s Guardsmen are proving right now what those drill weekends prepare them for. The least their country can do is let them keep every dollar they earn doing it.