{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sewell.house.gov/2024/5/rep-sewell-secures-key-wins-for-alabama-as-fy25-national-defense-authorization-act-passes-out-of-house-armed-services-committee", "Rep. Sewell Secures Key Wins for Alabama as FY25 National Defense Authorization Act Passes out of House Armed Services Committee", "2024-05-23", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Terri A. Sewell", "S001185", "sewell.house.gov", "sewell", "https://sewell.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington D.C. \u2013 U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, announced the inclusion of key priorities in H.R. 8070, the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (FY25 NDAA), which was marked up and passed out of the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday night by a vote of 57 to 1. The FY25 NDAA makes the most substantial investments in the health and well-being of our service members and their families in years. Thanks to requests and amendments offered by Rep. Sewell, it invests in pancreatic cancer research, authorizes critical funding for research at HBCUs, and expands access to maternal health care for service members and military families.\n\nPassed annually by Congress since 1961, the NDAA authorizes funding levels for the Department of Defense (DoD) and allows the Armed Forces to pay, train, and equip U.S. service members, support America\u2019s allies around the world, and carry out essential national security operations.\n\nNotably, the FY25 NDAA includes a 19.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% pay raise for all other service members. It invests over $17.5 billion for military construction projects, including $1.15 billion to improve the condition of housing across military departments.\n\n\u201cAs a proud member of the House Armed Services Committee, I take very seriously my responsibility to ensure that our military personnel get the tools and support they need to keep our nation safe,\u201d said Rep. Sewell. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to report that this year\u2019s NDAA includes the most substantial investments in the well-being of our military personnel in years including much-needed and deserved pay raises.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis year, we worked very hard to secure provisions that support pancreatic cancer research, strengthen DoD\u2019s research partnership with HBCUs, and invest in our Alabama military communities,\u201d continued Sewell. \u201cThis bill is the product of strong, bipartisan cooperation and I thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith for continuing that essential tradition.\u201d\n\nRep. Sewell secured the inclusion of key priorities in the FY25 NDAA including:\n\nSupporting Pancreatic Cancer Research - The NDAA includes an amendment offered by Rep. Sewell requiring DoD to brief Congress on its pancreatic screening procedures and protocols for follow-up screenings, and how DoD is integrating biomarkers, early detection, and genetic testing into their pancreatic cancer research.\n\nInvesting in Research at HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) - The NDAA includes $125 million to support cutting-edge research programs at HBCUs and MSIs and create diverse, talented workforce pipelines.\n\nIncreasing Diversity in Military Leadership - Thanks to a request submitted by Rep. Sewell, the NDAA includes a provision directing the Government Accountability Office to review DoD\u2019s progress in implementing a mentoring and career counseling program with the goal of increasing diversity in military leadership.\n\nExpanding Access to Maternal Health Care for Military Families - Thanks to a request co-led by Rep. Sewell, the NDAA will improve maternal health outcomes by creating a pilot program designating pregnancy as a qualifying life event under TRICARE, allowing pregnant military spouses and dependents to seek out the best possible prenatal health care.\n\nBoosting STEM Outreach to Middle and High School Students - The NDAA includes Rep. Sewell\u2019s amendment requiring DoD to submit a report to Congress on its efforts to reach historically underrepresented communities with STEM outreach to middle and high school students.\n\nSupporting BESPIN in Montgomery - The NDAA includes Rep. Sewell\u2019s amendment authorizing $2.5 million, for a total of $5 million, to support BESPIN, a DoD entity in Montgomery that enables IT capabilities for Airmen, including automatic cell phone application upgrades that ensure continued security. The NDAA also includes another amendment offered by Rep. Sewell requiring DoD to brief Congress on how it plans to maintain BESPIN\u2019s capabilities in future years, ensuring the program\u2019s longevity.\n\nSupporting F-35 Simulators - The NDAA includes Rep. Sewell\u2019s amendment requiring the DoD to brief Congress on its current and future inventory of F-35 simulators including those used at the 187th Fighter Wing Air National Guard Unit in Montgomery.\n\nLastly, to ensure the United States continues to address the interconnected nature of the challenges presented by the People\u2019s Republic of China and persistent threats posed by Russia, Iran, North Korea, and violent extremist groups, the FY25 NDAA reaffirms our commitments to allies and partners by resourcing both the European Deterrence Initiative and the Pacific Deterrence Initiative.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sewell.house.gov/2024/5/rep-sewell-secures-key-wins-for-alabama-as-fy25-national-defense-authorization-act-passes-out-of-house-armed-services-committee"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9025442413985729, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}