The Moore You Know Column May 31 - June 14, 2024
Supporting our service members
This week was a huge victory for House Republicans, and I don’t just mean our 31-11 win in the Congressional Baseball game. The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the House, and it contains several major wins for our service men and women.
This year’s NDAA is focused on improving the quality of life of our service members. Their pay has failed to remain competitive with the private sector and isn’t keeping pace with Biden’s inflation. To help our service members care for themselves and their families, this legislation provides a 19.5% raise for junior enlisted and a 4.5% raise across the board.
This legislation also includes my amendment that requires the Department of Defense to notify a state’s Senators and the Member of Congress that represents the affected military installation if they reprogram any money away from that installation. This idea came to mind after last month’s rumors at Fort Novosel. I am grateful that no funds will be diverted from Fort Novosel, but in the future, affected representatives deserve information in a timely manner so they can fight for their constituents.
The NDAA also improves the lives of our service members by funding housing maintenance. More than $160 million has been allocated to renovate and build new barracks, and a new digital tool will be created to help service members make and track maintenance requests.
I often hear from constituents at Fort Novosel and Maxwell-Gunter that access to specialty providers can be challenging. This NDAA waives the TRICARE referral requirement, so our service men and women have direct access to specialty care, and it also requires the Department of Defense to develop recommendations to fill any health care staffing shortages at military treatment facilities in rural areas to shorten wait times.
In the face of growing threats across the globe, our country needs to be focused on strengthening our military rather than promoting woke initiatives. This NDAA ensures our focus is in the right place by providing resources to counter Chinese aggression, blocking the Biden Administration’s plan to reduce the number of U.S. Special Forces, making all military promotions merit-based, and banning funding for abortion travel and critical race theory. I am proud to support legislation that is focused on improving the lives of our service members and protecting the American people.
If you need help from my office with the VA, IRS, or another federal agency, or if we can help you with a government service like processing a passport request, I hope you will reach out to us. We’ve resolved over 4,900 cases since I took office in 2021. Visit one of my offices in Wetumpka, Dothan, Andalusia, Troy, or Washington, call us at 334-478- 6330, or visit http://barrymoore.house.gov to learn how we can help.
To view the column in PDF format, please click here.