Huge House Defense Bill Aims to Strengthen US Military Might, Take Care of Service Members

WASHINGTON – The next Defense Department budget will be the highest in America's history, reaching nearly $900 billion. Just last week, the House Armed Services Committee sent its version to the floor for a vote. 

Lawmakers call the bipartisan bill a major step towards restoring the strength of the U.S. military. It provides money for the Pentagon to not only counter global threats but to also address key quality-of-life concerns facing service members.

"We want them to have the best resources and the best tools to do the job which is warfighting. We also want to take care of our service men and women," Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) told CBN News.

The House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provides an additional $300 million to support Ukraine, new programs and initiatives to counter China, plus a historic pay raise for service members. 

"This is the highest pay increase they've had in 20 years...That's what our service men and women need right now. They're all struggling with an economy that's in tough times right now. So how can we help the most, you know? Put more money in their pocketbooks," said Kiggans. 

Republicans also pushed through several amendments targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion, along with other cultural issues, like help for service members kicked out of the military for objecting to the COVID-19 vaccine. 

While some of those more controversial amendments will likely face push-back during negotiations, Kiggans says she's encouraged by the overall bi-partisan support. 

"We agree more than we disagree. We agree on where our threat is out in the world. We agree on who our adversaries are. We agree on a strong national defense and how that's our best deterrent," said the congresswoman. 

One of the more important measures for Kiggans involves military mental health care. 

"The parts of my bill that made it into the NDAA this week looked at mental health care in the form of a dashboard that really tracks how different places are considering things like childcare and housing, health care, spouse employment... and then, what are we doing if you know, God forbid, there are cluster suicides? What is the standard response or the standard operating procedure for command," she explained.

Kiggans, a veteran herself, admits greater long-term action will be needed to ensure America's military is strong enough to both support allies and stop adversaries. Regardless, she vows to be a fierce advocate for service men, women, and their families, a group that includes her own children.

"I'm a mom on a mission, right? I want to ensure that my kids have the best resources at their fingertips, and their friends, to be able to accomplish their mission and to do it safely. That's the role of Congress, is to fund that military, so I will fight for that every single day," she said.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has also passed a draft that matches the total defense spending in the House bill. It includes the pay raises and supports initiatives countering China and aiding Ukraine. After the House and Senate vote on their individual bills, negotiations will begin on a joint version that will ultimately head to the president's desk.