WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year (FY) 2025, a bill that will properly equip our military with deadly force, combat the rise of China, restore American deterrence, and improve quality of life for service members and their families:
“When America has the proper tools to defend herself, the entire world is safer. This year’s bill places a special emphasis on strengthening and improving quality of life for our brave service members and their families, who sacrifice their own safety to defend ours. From securing our border to supporting Israel and improving access to resources such as medical and child care, House Republicans are investing in our national defense and the people who make it possible. We committed to building a nation that is safe, and this bill is a fulfillment of that promise,” said Rep. Carter.
Rep. Carter’s amendment protecting Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) funding passed as part of this package. The Air Dominance Center in Savannah, Georgia is home to one of the four CRTCs run by the U.S. Air National Guard.
The FY25 NDAA improves service member quality of life by:
- Boosting Compensation: The FY25 NDAA gives junior enlisted servicemembers a 19.5% pay raise, expands allowances for housing and food, and improves the cost of living calculation.
- Improving Housing: The FY25 NDAA boosts funding for housing maintenance accounts, strengthens oversight of military housing programs, and pursues public-private partnerships to upgrade unaccompanied housing.
- Ensuring Access to Medical Care: The FY25 NDAA reduces dangerous healthcare wait times by expanding access to medical providers, especially mental health providers, and increases oversight of healthcare accessibility for servicemembers.
- Enhancing Support for Military Spouses: The FY25 NDAA makes it easier for spouses to transfer professional licenses across states and expands DoD programs that provide employment support to military spouses.
- Increasing Access to Childcare: The FY25 NDAA improves access to childcare for military families by mitigating childcare staffing shortages at DoD facilities and fully funding childcare fee assistance programs.
The FY25 NDAA restores American deterrence by:
- Deterring Communist China:
- Prevents Communist China’s espionage in our military, supply chain, and research institutions.
- Reforms DoD acquisitions to expedite the fielding of innovative technologies that we need to deter Communist China’s aggression.
- Bolsters Taiwan’s defense, supports Indo-Pacific allies, and increases funding for U.S. defense initiatives in the Indo-Pacific.
- Restoring Lethality:
- Requires promotions to be based on merit, ends affirmative action at service academies, and abolishes DEI bureaucracy at DoD schools.
- Prevents a military Green New Deal.
- Defending Israel:
- Expands U.S.-Israel military exercises and fully funds cooperative missile defense programs.
- Increases funding for R&D of emerging technology and anti-tunneling programs with Israel.
- Securing America’s Border:
- Fully funds the deployment of National Guard troops at the southwest border.
- Expands authorities and increases funding for DoD counternarcotic activities.
- Providing Oversight & Accountability:
- Saves $30 billion cutting inefficient programs, obsolete weapons, and Pentagon bureaucracy.
- Cracks down on contractor waste by cutting $4.3 billion in programs that aren’t meeting requirements.
Read the full bill text here.
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