Greenville Reporter

Congressman Greg Murphy has expressed approval following the passage of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025. The legislation authorizes $883.7 billion, with $849.9 billion allocated to Department of Defense programs, and aims to reduce taxpayer expenses by cutting inefficient programs and bureaucracy by 4%.

"I am pleased that Congress has passed a National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 that empowers our military to safeguard the United States and takes care of our troops," said Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. "This package robustly funds and modernizes our armed forces to prepare us against threats abroad, improves the quality of life for service members and their families, and refocuses the Pentagon’s mission on our national security and away from political distractions."

The act secures significant funding for North Carolina's 3rd District, including $208 million for military construction projects at Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Stations Cherry Point and New River. Additionally, it allocates $50 million in Impact Aid to support the military community.

Specific allocations include $53.52 million for an aircraft maintenance hangar at Cherry Point, $20.02 million for a composite repair facility there, and $50 million for an F-35 Sustainment Center. Camp Lejeune will receive funding for various facilities as well.

The NDAA also includes measures aimed at improving service members' quality of life with pay raises—14.5% for junior enlisted personnel—and educational assistance reforms to ease student debt concerns post-service.

Further provisions address ideological issues within the Department of Defense (DoD), banning funding related to transgender medical treatments for children and Critical Race Theory teachings in military settings.

To counter Chinese Communist Party aggression, the act prohibits contracts with Chinese civil-military companies' subsidiaries, bans certain technologies from China in DoD operations, and mandates reviews on potential risks posed by Chinese technology.

The legislation supports U.S.-Israel defense collaborations with funding authorized for anti-tunnel cooperation, emerging technologies like AI, missile defense cooperation, among others.

Finally, it continues support for border law enforcement operations through National Guard deployments at the southwest border while enhancing DoD counternarcotics activities.