House passes defense bill with Edwards’ amendments

U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11) today voted for H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, which passed with three of his amendments included.

The bill authorizes nearly $900 billion for our nation’s defense, which is $9 billion more than was enacted last year.

The NDAA prioritizes improving U.S. service members’ quality of life and restoring the focus of our military on warfighting and deterring rising global threats.

In addition to saving taxpayers $30 billion by cutting outdated weapons systems, inefficient programs and unnecessary bureaucracy, this bill will also improve accountability and oversight of waste, fraud and abuse within the Department of Defense.

The following three amendments introduced by Congressman Edwards were included in the final House bill:

• An amendment to require the Department of Defense (DOD) to complete a survey of the 15 counties in North Carolina’s 11th District as potential locations for future defense facilities and report to Congress on its findings.
  • Western North Carolina’s topography is much like that of many U.S. adversaries, including China, and would be advantageous for U.S. military training.
• An amendment to require the DOD to submit an annual report to the General Services Administration (GSA) on office-space occupancy data, and to require the secretary of Defense to draft and finalize written procedures to govern the return of unused office space to the GSA.
• An amendment to revoke the security clearances of retired or active members of the U.S. armed forces or DOD civilian personnel who express support for terrorist organizations or engage in a demonstration supporting a terrorist organization.

Edwards said, “The FY25 NDAA will improve the quality of life of our service members who make immeasurable sacrifices to serve and protect our nation while returning our military to its core mission. During a time of increasing global threats, it is critical that our military prioritize warfighting and support those on the front lines who are defending our liberties.”

Bill text is available here.