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Issue record

Veterans and the military

In short

Beltran's campaign backs veterans' care and benefits. Castor's campaign points to VA hospital funding and a military pay raise she voted for; Lambert's backs less VA paperwork and urgent help on veteran suicide. On the record, Castor voted for the final 2024 and 2025 defense bills that carried raises, after voting against the House's first versions. Her site does not say which raise it means.

Campaign positions

What each campaign says.

Mike Beltran

Will fight for veterans' care and benefits, and wants a strong military focused on defending the country.

Kathy Castor

Calls herself a champion for veterans. Points to Haley VA hospital funding, MacDill Air Force Base and a military pay raise she voted for.

Brian Lambert

Wants less VA paperwork, more care in the community and urgent help on veteran suicide. He is a Navy veteran.

Evidence timeline

What the record shows.

  1. official action

    Kathy Castor: Matches stated direction

    She backed the final fiscal 2024/2025 bills, after opposing the House versions. The January 2024 raise was 5.2%, the largest since 2002; which law set it is not established.

    Read the full check

    Full detail

    Her campaign says she voted for the largest pay increase for service members in 20 years. She voted Yea on the final House votes on both recent defense bills that carried raises: the 2024 bill on December 14, 2023, 310-118, and the 2025 bill on December 11, 2024, 281-140. By the Defense Department's yearly table, the January 2024 raise of 5.2% was the largest since 6.9% in 2002. The Defense Department's pay site lists the raise as 5.2% on January 1, 2024 and 4.5% on January 1, 2025. The 2025 law rewrote the basic pay tables from April 1, 2025; the Navy's April 2025 table says it reflects a full 14.5% raise for E-1 to E-4. She voted against the House's first versions of both bills, 219-210 in July 2023 and 217-199 in June 2024. Limit: Her site does not say which raise it means. The 14.5% was for junior enlisted only, not an across-the-board rate, and this desk does not show which law set the 5.2%.

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Sources12 source records

How we use sources

  1. Mike Beltran for Congress, platformhttps://beltranforcongress.com/platform

    Mike Beltran for Congress · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Captured 2026-10-01. Thirteen headings, from health care and taxes to guns, abortion and elections.

    candidate statement

    For: Mike Beltran: campaign position

  2. Castor for Congress, about Kathyhttps://castorforcongress.com/about/

    Castor for Congress · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Captured 2026-10-01. Her biography and the record she claims: the infrastructure law, children's health bills, veterans and a military pay raise.

    candidate statement

    For: Kathy Castor: campaign position; Kathy Castor: Matches stated direction

  3. Castor for Congress, delivering for Floridahttps://castorforcongress.com/delivering-for-florida/

    Castor for Congress · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Captured 2026-10-01. Lists money she says she brought to the district: the airport, the port, transit, housing, MacDill and the Haley VA. Only the port authorization is tested on this desk; the other totals were not matched to funding records that name her as requester.

    candidate statement

    For: Kathy Castor: campaign position

  4. Brian Lambert for Congress, veteranshttps://www.brianlambertforcongress.com/issues/veterans

    Brian Lambert for Congress · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Captured 2026-10-01.

    candidate statement

    For: Brian Lambert: campaign position

  5. House roll call 723, 118th Congress, 1st session (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    On agreeing to the conference report on H.R. 2670, the FY2024 defense authorization, 2023-12-14. Passed 310-118. Castor voted Yea.

    official legislative record

    For: Kathy Castor: Matches stated direction

  6. House roll call 500, 118th Congress, 2nd session (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    On the final House vote on H.R. 5009, the FY2025 defense authorization, 2024-12-11. Passed 281-140. Castor voted Yea.

    official legislative record

    For: Kathy Castor: Matches stated direction

  7. Public Law 118-159, defense authorization for fiscal year 2025https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-118publ159

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Section 601, Reform of Basic Pay Rates, sets new monthly basic pay tables effective April 1, 2025. The law gives the tables, not a percentage. Read 2026-10-01.

    official legislative record

    For: Kathy Castor: Matches stated direction

  8. House roll call 328, 118th Congress, 1st session (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    On passage of H.R. 2670, the FY2024 defense authorization, 2023-07-14. Passed 219-210. Castor voted Nay.

    official legislative record

    For: Kathy Castor: Matches stated direction

  9. House roll call 279, 118th Congress, 2nd session (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    On passage of H.R. 8070, the House's first version of the FY2025 defense authorization, 2024-06-14. Passed 217-199. Castor voted No.

    official legislative record

    For: Kathy Castor: Matches stated direction

  10. National Defense Budget Estimates for FY 2025 (Green Book), Table 5-12 (document)

    Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) · Reviewed Oct 2, 2026

    April 2024. Table 5-12, Military and Civilian Pay Increases Since 1945 (printed pp. 75-76), lists the military pay raise of January 1, 2024 at 5.2% and of January 1, 2002 at 6.9%; every rate from 2003 through 2023 is lower. The 2002-2004 rates are averages that include targeted raises.

    official office record

    For: Kathy Castor: Matches stated direction

  11. Annual Pay Raisehttps://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Basic-Pay/AnnualPayRaise/lang/en/

    U.S. Department of Defense, Military Compensation · Reviewed Oct 2, 2026

    Read 2026-10-02 in the owner's browser because the site blocks scripts. Lists the military pay raise as 5.2% on January 1, 2024 and 4.5% on January 1, 2025.

    official office record

    For: Kathy Castor: Matches stated direction

  12. 2025 Active Duty Pay table, effective April 1, 2025 (document)

    U.S. Navy · Reviewed Oct 2, 2026

    The header reads "Effective April 1, 2025. Reflects full 14.5% pay raise for E-1 to E-4." That is a raise for junior enlisted grades, not the across-the-board rate.

    official office record

    For: Kathy Castor: Matches stated direction