April 5, 2024
Dear John,

Sacrificing to Serve

BIG Update

Applications for my U.S. Service Academy nomination consideration opened this week for the Class of 2029. It’s one of the privileges of my job to meet and nominate brilliant young individuals to attend one of the prestigious academies.

Attending a Service Academy equips and trains the next generation of officers in our Armed Forces, focusing on leadership, both the physical and mental aspects of military training, and preparing students for a career as an officer.

You can find more information on my website at https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/services/service-academy-nominations and by watching the video below from current academy students I previously nominated.

BIG Idea

This week, I stopped by Big Frig in North Sioux City to learn about their business. They make a variety of coolers, drinkware, and cattle coolers to help their customers get the job done. I saw how they make and design their products that withstand the ranching conditions of the Midwest. A big part of my job is meeting with business owners to see how I can help—by navigating federal bureaucracies or introducing policies to address supply chain disruptions, high prices, immigration, and more—to ensure our businesses, economy, and communities can thrive.

Johnson and the team at Big Frig

BIG News

In March, the National Guard temporarily suspended its reenlistment bonuses for servicemembers. This isn’t the first time this has happened. In October 2023, more than 9,000 soldiers saw delays in receiving their enlistment bonus—some from up to five years ago. This same type of payment suspension happened again in 2021.

This week, I asked the National Guard Bureau why the availability of their incentive programs has been unreliable. Failing to fulfill these programs could discourage our military men and women from reenlisting or civilians from joining. We need to ensure a robust military, but unfortunately, the Armed Services significantly missed recruiting goals in 2023 by more than 40,000 people. Now, we have the smallest active-duty force since 1940.

Waiting years to receive an enlistment bonus is unacceptable. These men and women are sacrificing to serve our country and keep us safe—we must uphold our commitment to them.

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