Ossoff Leads Initiatives in Senate to Raise Wages and Rebuke the White House

Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff (D) has been working to address a number of different issues. His recent work concerns the pay of military personnel and immigration. 

Back in December, Ossoff made it a priority to push for an increase to pay of junior-enlisted military personnel. The pay increase was included in the National Defense Authorization Act. 

The pay increase will go into effect this month. Ossoff noted that people don’t typically join the military for money, but they should be compensated anyway.

Ossoff stated, “Young people are not going into national service and national security for the money. They’re doing it because they care about defending the United States and the American people, and they are terribly underpaid.” 

When discussing the issue on X, he framed it as a bipartisan issue. 

Ossoff also stated, “I made it one of my highest priorities to pass a record pay raise for junior-enlisted personnel in the military, and bringing Republicans and Democrats together, we got it done.”

Next, Ossoff has collaborated with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R) to demand the Trump administration reinstate legal assistance to minors in immigration court. This has occurred due to the expiration of a federal contract that provided migrant children with lawyers. 

This demand was made in a letter that was revealed to NPR. 

In the letter directed to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, they stated that this “puts children directly at risk of trafficking and exploitation, and harms any hope of a fair legal process for thousands of vulnerable children.”

The letter is a rare occurrence of bipartisan protest against the Trump administration. They warned that, "Terminating legal representation for these children means that toddlers will now face a courtroom and judge with no adult to advocate on their behalf.”

Ossoff and Murkowski continued discussing how placing these children in these situations could cause life-altering consequences.