Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR-04)
While we ready ourselves for the end of another year with a new Congress on the horizon, make no mistake that there is still much work to be done. This week, the House voted to pass the Servicemember and Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25 NDAA). House Republicans continue to deliver on their promise to the American people to increase border security, bolster national defense, deter global adversaries, support Israel, and provide the support necessary to improve the lives of our servicemembers and their families.
It goes without saying that the men and women who put their lives on the line daily in order to protect our freedoms should never have to experience negative impacts due to a lack of resources provided to them by the military. We owe a debt of gratitude to each of our servicemembers, and I’m pleased that the FY25 NDAA will work to improve the quality of life for our servicemembers and their families.
These negative impacts are also affecting our military through low recruitment numbers, retention, and lack of military readiness. Through boosting compensation for junior enlisted servicemembers to better compete with the private sector, to improving and addressing housing issues like chronic underfunding and repairs, ensuring access to better medical care, and providing better support for their families, we will be setting up our service men and women for success.
The Fourth District and Arkansas were also the recipients of many wins in the NDAA’s passage. The Natural State is proudly home to numerous facilities that directly impact the national defense industry. The FY25 NDAA will authorize full funding for joint US-Israel cooperative missile defense programs such as the Iron Dome, Arrow, and David’s Sling – all big wins, specifically for East Camden.
Additionally, this bill authorizes $74 million for a military construction project located in Arkansas, expands programs to help Arkansas’ 1,800 military spouses attain and retain employment, and provides greater access to childcare for the 2,900 children of military families across Arkansas.
As global adversaries continue to threaten democracy around the world, House Republicans are determined to bring the hammer down heavily upon our adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran, while continuing to provide aid to our ally in the Middle East – Israel. By severing all dependence on China from the semiconductor supply chain, maintaining the integrity of U.S. nuclear facilities, to cutting ties on any information exchange, the United States is taking back the power wrongfully and dangerously given to China which undermines our military’s integrity and might.
This bicameral, bipartisan work will provide substantial investments in military modernization, counteract the deep impacts of inflation on our military, and deliver a well-deserved pay raise for our servicemembers and relief to their families. Our nation has a history of strong national defense, and House Republicans will continue holding the line to ensure that legacy holds fast for generations to come.