Greenville Reporter

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. issued a statement in response to the passage of H.R. 8774, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2025.

"I applaud the House for passing the FY25 Department of Defense Appropriations package, ensuring our military is well-equipped to prioritize defending our national security," said Congressman Greg Murphy. "We are living in a less secure world than we were four years ago, with belligerents taking action to undermine the United States and our allies. This defense package responsibly allocates taxpayer dollars to counter our adversaries, invest in innovation to strengthen our military, support our servicemembers and their families, and uphold democratic values both at home and abroad."

"As the proud representative of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Stations Cherry Point and New River, delivering for our troops is an exceedingly high priority for me. Our men and women in uniform risk their lives to keep us safe and preserve our freedom. We must give them the tools, resources, and proper care they need to do their jobs to the best of their ability."

The FY25 DoD Appropriations Act funds a 4.5% pay raise for troops as well as an additional 15% pay increase for junior enlisted servicemembers. It ensures the delivery of combat-ready forces to deter war and ensure national security while eliminating funding for certain social initiatives.

The act provides $833.05 billion in discretionary funding, which is $8.57 billion (1%) above the FY24 enacted level. It rejects $18 billion in items from the President’s Budget Request deemed unjustified or unnecessary, redirecting those resources toward programs that counter adversaries and foster innovation.

Key allocations include $200 million for Taiwan's international security cooperation programs; investments in advanced aircraft such as the F-35; modernization efforts including next-generation fighter aircraft; submarines; tactical combat vehicles; nuclear triad modernization projects like B-21 Raider; Columbia Class Submarine; Sentinel; over $1.3 billion for Defense Innovation Unit efforts involving small businesses.

The act also allocates $1.14 billion towards drug interdiction activities—$242 million above what was requested by the President—and increases funding for National Guard Counterdrug Programs.

Support measures include providing $500 million for Israeli Cooperative Missile Defense Programs like Iron Dome while requiring prompt delivery of defense articles from the U.S., prohibiting funds for UNRWA.

Furthermore, it prohibits funds from being used on several initiatives: housing illegal immigrants on military installations; DEI offices or related executive orders implementation; medical procedures changing an individual's biological gender identity; events discrediting military integrity such as drag queen story hours or using drag queens as recruiters; CRT promotion/advancement/climate change regulations-related expenses/abortion-related travel expenses/contracts with NewsGuard Technologies Inc.; COVID-19 vaccine/mask mandates enforcement.

Cosponsored amendments included aim at increasing TRICARE reimbursement rates by expressing intent through increased funding allocations: #67 - medical/health programs at DoD ($1M); #68 - mental health providers ($1M). Another amendment (#309) supports Air Force O&M funding increase ($5M) aimed at addressing pilot shortages via ROTC program flight training reimbursements authorized under Section 519 of FY21 NDAA (P.L 116-283).