Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) has lauded the signing into law of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bipartisan, bicameral bill that includes dozens of her legislative contributions aimed at bolstering national security and supporting military personnel.
President Joe Biden signed the NDAA into law on Friday, marking a significant achievement for Houlahan, a returning member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Quality of Life Panel’s ranking member. Houlahan has consistently advocated for measures to enhance the well-being of veterans and active-duty military personnel and fortify the country’s national security.
Key efforts championed by Houlahan in the expansive defense bill include expanding paid leave for veterans, growing the nation’s cybersecurity workforce, increasing opportunities for small businesses within the Department of Defense (DoD), and intensifying the crackdown on fentanyl.
Houlahan emphasized the bipartisan support for the legislation, stating, “For 63 consecutive years, Congress has come together to pass the National Defense Authorization Act – the only bill to have such a record.”
Among the 36 bills and provisions in the NDAA that Houlahan championed are measures to expand paid leave eligibility for veterans in the federal workforce, grow the DoD’s cyber and digital scholarship program, increase funding for global humanitarian demining, protect military personnel’s access to essential medicines, support service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB), and improve maternity care for service women and military dependents.
The annual defense bill also includes a four-month extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which Houlahan supports as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. This extension empowers the U.S. intelligence community to continue collecting online communications from non-U.S. persons abroad to protect American lives.
Additional provisions in the bill, backed by Houlahan, provide a 5.2% pay raise for service members, the largest in two decades, fund housing and child care to improve military families’ quality of life, support energy conservation projects and research, and invest $150 million in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The bill also authorizes $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and reaffirming support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
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