McClellan Statement on the FY25 NDAA
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement on House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25 NDAA):
“Earlier this year, the House Armed Services Committee developed a strong bipartisan NDAA focused on improving the quality of life of our servicemembers and advancing our national security priorities. We passed that bill with near unanimous consent to deliver for our Armed Forces and military families, improve our military readiness, and support our global allies and partners.
“Democrats and Republicans on the Armed Services Committee reached consensus on transformative provisions and robust investments, anchored by the yearlong work and final report of the bipartisan Quality of Panel. We secured a 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted servicemembers and a 4.5% pay increase for all other servicemembers. We prioritized investments in health care, contraception, housing, childcare, military spousal support, and civilian workforce benefits. We increased funding for PFAS remediation and increased eligibility for the basic needs allowance to ensure military families have the resources they need. The NDAA also incorporated my Improving TAP for Guard and Reserve Servicemembers Act, legislation to provide the Reserve Components of our Armed Forces with tailored guidance and technical assistance to support their transition back to civilian life.
“Unfortunately, Speaker Johnson used the NDAA as a vehicle to advance his conference’s extreme priorities. The original House-passed version contained MAGA culture war amendments that dismantle all DEI initiatives within the Armed Forces; limit servicemembers and their families’ access to reproductive health care; ban TRICARE coverage for gender-affirming care; restore Confederate memorials; abandon Ukraine and our NATO allies; and more. I vehemently and unequivocally opposed these provisions and Republicans’ use of must-pass legislation to advance their policy wishlist, and therefore voted against the House version.
“Thankfully, negotiators stripped nearly all of these poison pill amendments from the final version of the bill. However, the final bill included a Republican provision banning TRICARE coverage for gender-affirming care for minors that could result in sterilization. While I adamantly oppose this provision, I voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 because of its transformative provisions to improve the quality of life of our servicemembers and military families in Virginia and across the nation.”
Read the full bill text here and a section-by-section summary here. Learn more about McClellan’s Improving TAP for Guard and Reserve Servicemembers Act here.