Fact check: Trump told troops he gave them first raise in years. He didn't.
During a speech to US troops at the Osan Air Base in South Korea on Sunday, President Donald Trump said that he had given them their first pay increase in almost a decade.
"And, you know, one thing I didn't mention: You also got very nice pay raises for the last couple of years. Congratulations. Oh, you care about that. They care about that. I didn't think you noticed. Yeah, you were entitled. You know, it was close to 10 years before you had an increase. Ten years," he said.
His claim isn't true.
Facts First: Members of the military have received pay raises every year since 1983 -- and if you ignore an administrative quirk in 1983, they have received raises every year since 1961.
Trump could accurately say that the 2018 pay increase he signed into law, 2.4%, was the largest in close to 10 years: It was the biggest raise for the troops since the 3.4% increase that President Barack Obama signed into law for 2010. The 2019 raise, 2.6%, was also the largest since 2010.
But these raises were certainly not the first in close to 10 years.
Military pay rose every year under Obama. For 2017, Obama approved a 2.1% increase. He also authorized a 1.3% increase for 2016, a 1.0% increase for 2015, a 1.0% increase for 2014, a 1.7% increase for 2013, a 1.6% increase for 2012, a 1.4% increase for 2011 and the 3.4% increase for 2010.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/factcheck/fact-check-trump-told-troops-he-gave-them-first-raise-in-years-he-didnt/ar-AADHHFH?li=BBnb7Kz