President Joe Biden signed the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law on Dec. 23, approving an $895 billion military spending authorization despite some pushback from fellow Democrats.
Biden signaled reservations about several provisions in the bill that he said constrained the authority of the presidency to oversee international negotiations. He said other provisions in the NDAA would require the president to report to Congress in a manner that could divulge sensitive intelligence or military planning, or implicate sensitive executive branch interests.
Biden also offered an objection to provisions in the NDAA that bar the U.S. Department of Defense from using its funds to transfer detainees from the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the custody of certain foreign nations. He said these provisions “could make it difficult to comply with the final judgment of a court.”
As the bill passed through the House and Senate earlier this month, numerous Democrats raised objections to another provision in the bill that would bar the Defense Department’s Tricare medical plan from covering transgender procedures for military dependents younger than 18. While the NDAA typically enjoys broad bipartisan support, 124 House Democrats voted against its passage this year, with many citing their objection to the Tricare provision.
“The provision targets a group based on that group’s gender identity and interferes with parents’ roles to determine the best care for their children,” Biden said. “This section undermines our all-volunteer military’s ability to recruit and retain the finest fighting force the world has ever known by denying health care coverage to thousands of our service members’ children.”
The annual budget authorization bill outlines the continued operations of the various U.S. military operations and specifies which weapons development and procurement projects it can continue to pursue.
This year’s NDAA also includes several provisions aimed at improving quality-of-life standards for U.S. servicemembers. All servicemembers would see a pay bump of 4.5 percent, while junior enlisted troops would receive a targeted pay raise of 14.5 percent. Other provisions in the bill provide increased cost-of-living and basic needs allowances, military spouse employment support, and funding for child care programs.
Despite his stated objections to some of the provisions, Biden said the 2025 NDAA “provides vital benefits for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our country’s national defense, foreign affairs, and homeland security.”
While the NDAA describes the various programs and policies the U.S. military may pursue for the fiscal year, a separate defense appropriations act is needed to fully fund these authorized programs. Biden signed a continuing resolution on Dec. 21, funding the government through March 14. Lawmakers still have to pass a full budget if the provisions in the NDAA are to be fully funded.
“Being forced to rely on stopgap, temporary funding measures hamstrings the Department’s ability to plan for the future, bolster our ranks with new recruits, and tackle new challenges to American security,” Austin said.
