WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (NDAA).
“The fiscal year 2025 NDAA started as a truly bipartisan bill, passing out of the House Armed Services Committee on a 57-1 bipartisan vote. After months of collaboration, the bill funds American defense and national security priorities and supports our service members.
The initial bill contained numerous bipartisan and monumental investments that I have supported. These include historic pay raises for service members, an increase in the basic housing allowance for service members and their families, increased support for military spouses; increases in child care provider pay on Department of Defense (DOD) facilities, and a $125 million investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Additionally, the final NDAA passed by the House includes my amendment requiring DOD to ensure suicide prevention and behavioral health resources on DOD and military base websites are up-to-date, and certify this information is up to date to Congress. This amendment was included in the 2024 NDAA and through its renewal for fiscal year 2025 will ensure service members have access to vital mental health resources no matter where they are stationed.
Despite this strong bipartisan support, House Republicans overhauled the NDAA to include harmful amendments to attack and defund reproductive and LGBTQI+ health care, roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout our armed forces, and deny funding to combat climate change.
Unfortunately, these extreme, dangerous, and misguided amendments fundamentally changed the legislation and I could not support final passage of the NDAA and voted against the bill on the floor.
I welcome the opportunity to return to a bipartisan bill that supports both our national defense and our service members and their families.”