WASHINGTON, D.C., (June 14, 2024) – Today, U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) voted in favor of H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025.
"This bill does right by our troops by boosting their pay and improving care for them and their families while they are serving our country. It also ends a lot of liberal garbage and improves congressional oversight. I was proud to vote for a bill that strengthens our Department of Defense which has been weakened by this administration over the past four years." Said Rep. Burchett.
H.R. 8070:
- Boosts servicemember pay by including a 19.5% pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and a 4.5% pay raise for all other servicemembers.
- Improves care for servicemembers’ families by bolstering childcare, medical, and housing programs.
- Saves taxpayers $30 billion or 4% of current Department of Defense spending levels.
- Cuts over $20 billion in funding for ineffective or redundant DoD programs.
- Ends DEI initiatives in military personnel decisions by requiring all military promotions, accessions, and command decisions to be based on individual merit rather than political beliefs, race, or gender.
- Helps veterans transition to civilian life by improving access to the Transition Assistance Program and authorizing a new pilot program to expand career training, resume building, and networking for retiring servicemembers.
- Expands efforts to counter foreign adversaries such as China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea.
- Bolsters support for allies in Taiwan and Israel.
- Improves congressional oversight over various DoD initiatives such as the Sentinel program, biodefense programs, and Ford Class aircraft carrier cost growth.
The full text of H.R. 8070 can be found here.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://burchett.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-burchett-votes-ndaa