Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
Washington D.C. (December 13, 2024) | Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in communications and intelligence, voted for the final negotiated language for H.R. 5009, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY25. This legislation authorizes funding levels for U.S. defense programs and sets key Department of Defense policies. The defense authorization bill passed the House by a vote of 281-140.
“With wars raging in Israel and Ukraine, chaos in Syria, an emboldened Iran, and the growing threat of Communist China, America’s national security depends on the critical need to restore strength in our military and ensure it is well equipped with all the tools it needs to protect our nation. Although not perfect, the NDAA we passed takes steps toward accomplishing that mission. This critical legislation makes vital investments to deter Russian and Chinese aggression, defend our ally Israel, boost our war fighting capabilities, and diminish some of the woke agenda infused in our military in recent years.
“The FY25 NDAA also makes necessary improvements to service member quality of life, provides our troops with needed pay-increases, and secures critical funding for Dobbins Air Reserve Base. I urge the Senate to pass this legislation, and President Biden to sign it without delay.”
Overall House FY25 NDAA Highlights
Georgia’s 11th Congressional District
- Authorizes funding at $78 million for the Army Reserve Center at Dobbins Air Reserve Base (ARB).
- Rejects the outgoing Biden Administration’s request to divest certain aircraft, including the F-22 fighters, F-15E fighters, C-130 cargo, KC-135 tanker, E-3 airborne warning, and RQ-4 reconnaissance aircraft to ensure continued air superiority in the near-term
- Increased C-130 procurement – particularly of C-130Js is critical to strengthening our national security.
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- Every aircraft made represents the hard work of 3,200 Georgians at Lockheed Martin’s Marietta facility in GA-11.
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Military Service Members and Families
- Provides a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and supports a 4.5% pay raise for Georgia’s 89,900 servicemembers.
- Authorizes funding to build new housing and improve existing housing.
- Expands programs to help Georgia’s 29,300 military spouses attain and retain employment.
- Expands access to childcare for the 47,900 children of military families in Georgia.
Healthcare
- Provides servicemembers with direct access to specialty medical providers by waiving the TRICARE referral requirement.
- Expands the number of doctors working for DoD by extending recruitment bonuses and providing for increased compensation.
- Increases the number of nurses working for DoD by waiving prior federal service hiring requirements.
- Requires DoD to report to Congress on access to care data for all healthcare services to determine where gaps exist.
Ending Wokeness in the Military
- Prohibits funding for the teaching, training, and promotion of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the military, including at service academies and DoD schools.
- Extends the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring freeze, preventing DoD from establishing any new positions or filing of any DEI positions until GAO completes an investigation of the Pentagon’s DEI programs.
- Prohibits DoD from contracting with advertising firms like NewsGuard that blacklist conservative news sources.
- Permanently bans DoD from providing minors with gender dysphoria medical treatments, like hormones and puberty blockers that could result in sterilization.
Foreign Policy and National Security
- Authorizes $15.6 billion, $5.7 billion more than requested for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to enhance U.S. deterrence and defense posture in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Establishes the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative to provide the military and security forces of Taiwan with lethal assistance to enable Taiwan to maintain self-defense capabilities.
- Authorizes full funding for joint U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs (Iron Dome, Arrow, David Sling).
- Requires U.S. Central Command to engage in joint anti-tunnelling exercises with Israel Defense Forces.
Oversight and Accountability
- Requires DoD to promptly notify Congress whenever the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) is unable to perform the functions and duties of the office and transfer them to the deputy secretary or other individual.
- Imposes congressional oversight on any plans to reduce the size of the US Navy fleet.
- Fences funding for the SECDEF until DoD provides Congress with several required reports.
Securing America’s borders
- Fully supports the deployment of National Guard troops to augment Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activities at the southwest border.
- Authorizes $90 million for construction of a new Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) Command and Control Facility to detect and interdict illegal migrants and narcotics.
- Increases funding by $10 million for DoD counternarcotics activities.
BACKGROUND:This legislation is based on two bills (1) H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act for Fiscal Yar 2025, which Rep. Loudermilk supported, and passed the House on June 14, 2024; and (2) S.4638, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Yar 2025, which was approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 13, 2024.
The bills are the product of bicameral and bipartisan negotiations led by House and Senate Armed Services Committee leaders and will be sent back to Senate for consideration before going to President Biden for signature.
For more information on the FY25 NDAA, click here.