Moulton Votes to Pass FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) voted with the House of Representatives to pass the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This must-pass legislation dictates our nation’s defense priorities and spending. 

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee and Marine veteran, Moulton has been involved in the creation of the annual defense bill each year since being elected to Congress.

In July, Moulton voted against an earlier version of the bill due to the inclusion of controversial, politically-motivated provisions added by House Republicans. Specifically, Moulton would not support any legislation that would have made it extremely difficult for female service members to travel out of state for reproductive healthcare. 

“The NDAA is one of the last truly bipartisan efforts in Congress. Unfortunately, the process of writing this legislation fell victim to extreme politics. By entangling our nation’s defense with GOP culture wars, far-right Republicans in the House showed that they are willing to use our troops as political pawns,” said Congressman Moulton.  “Fortunately, Democrats fought to successfully remove many of the most egregious provisions – like making it nearly impossible for women servicemembers to travel out of state for reproductive healthcare and dismantling diversity programs across the military.  No defense bill is perfect, but this legislation has come a long way in the conference process. The final product makes investments in the core strength of our national defense: service members, DoD civilians, and their families.”
 

Key provisions in FY2024 NDAA: 

• Supports the proposed 5.2% pay raise for service members and expands eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance (program that provides funds for food, housing, etc. for our lowest paid service members) and makes significant investments in child development centers.
   
• Authorizes $650 million worth of investments in energy resilience and energy conservation projects.
   
• Enables key pillars of AUKUS, a security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States
   
• Extends Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act, a critical U.S. national security tool that allows the U.S. to conduct surveillance of bad actors abroad. Congressman Moulton supports this provision, but strongly supports efforts to reform the program in the coming months. 

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Moulton also submitted his own provisions for the bill.

Moulton’s NDAA provisions include:
 

• Protecting Servicemember Data: A provision that prohibits government contractors from selling data collected on servicemembers during the course of their contract. A recent Duke University study showed that data brokers are selling highly detailed personal data on thousands of active-duty and veteran U.S. military members for as little as one cent per name.
   
• Preventing Drug Overdoses by Ensuring Access to Naloxone on Military Installations: a provision that requires naloxone, a nasal spray capable of reversing a fatal opioid overdose, to be available on every installation and on ships. The bill also requires increased access to fentanyl test strips and an annual report on servicemember drug overdoses to help clarify and address barriers to care for substance use disorder. 
   
• Divesting From Legacy Defense Systems: Congressman Moulton led the effort to require the Department of Defense to report on how it will divest from legacy systems that no longer optimally meet the needs of our military. This provision will enhance Congress’ oversight of the Defense Department and ensure that taxpayer dollars are going to platforms that make our military more effective. 
   
• Promoting Nuclear Nonproliferation: As Ranking Member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Congressman Moulton led an effort to reverse Republican funding cuts to nuclear nonproliferation efforts. The additional funding will ensure that the National Nuclear Security Administration is able to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and oversee arms control efforts at a time of growing strategic challenges. 
   
• Over-the-Horizon Radar Competitive Procurement: Congressman Moulton led the effort to ensure that part of the contract for the Air Force’s next-generation over-the-horizon radar system will be competitively awarded, ensuring that U.S. companies are eligible to compete. 

The Senate passed the NDAA last night. It now heads to the White House for President Biden to sign into law.

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