Van Hollen Secures Key Provisions in Annual Defense Bill Passed by Senate

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) voted to pass the final fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the Senate, which includes important investments in Maryland’s military installations, our servicemembers, and our national security. The legislation provides more than $250 million to Maryland military installations, as well as a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and a 4.5 percent pay raise for all other servicemembers.

“Investing in our military installations and the men and women of our armed forces is important to maintaining our national security. This year’s defense bill includes a significant pay raise for junior enlisted members along with improvements in housing and other key supports for all servicemembers’ families. These are critical steps to ensure we continue to recruit and retain the best fighting force in the world. And as we confront increasingly complex threats across the globe, this legislation also enhances our national security readiness, including through forward-looking investments in Maryland’s military assets and the development of next generation technologies. Recognizing the essential role our foreign service plays in promoting U.S. interests around the world – and the sacrifices they make to do it – this bill also takes meaningful steps to improve the quality of life of our diplomatic corps and the family members who travel with them to their posts.

“For all its benefits for America’s national security, this legislation is still far from perfect. I am deeply concerned about the harmful language unfairly targeting transgender youth and their families. In addition, the bill does not make crucial revisions to the recent reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA, opening the door to increased abuse of a powerful surveillance authority. And I continue to believe we must find ways to streamline our defense spending so we can invest more in priorities here at home. That being said, on balance this compromise NDAA will strengthen our common defense and the servicemembers who protect our nation,” said Senator Van Hollen.

Within the FY25 NDAA, Senator Van Hollen fought to include the following provisions:

• Funding authorization for critical military construction projects in Maryland, including:
  • $116 million for various projects at Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head in Charles County
    • This total includes $10 million for a contained burn facility at the warfare center
      
      
  • $68.8 million for energy resilience and conservation programs at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County, including for the construction of a power generation and microgrid
  • $46 million for a child care center at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County
  • $27 million for the ongoing construction of an incinerator facility at Fort Detrick in Frederick County
    
    
• Preserving states’ full slates of Merchant Marine Academy nomination allowances. This provision ensures that high school students applying to attend the Merchant Marine Academy do not lose the opportunity to be nominated because of a vacancy in the office of one of their U.S. Senators or Representative in the U.S. House. This measure builds on Senator Van Hollen’s SERVE Act provisions that were passed as part of the FY22 NDAA, which allowed the transfer of nomination slots for the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, and U.S. Military Academy to a state’s U.S. Senators in the event of a Congressional vacancy – or to one Senator if that vacancy is created by the other.
  • Senator Van Hollen, along with Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and then-Congressman Anthony Brown (D-Md.), fought to pass the SERVE Act after the death of Congressman Elijah Cummings.
    
    
• $500 million funding authorization for the Port Infrastructure Development Program, a key program that has supported the growth of the Port of Baltimore.

The FY25 NDAA also includes the Department of State Authorization Act, bipartisan legislation to support America’s diplomatic corps and advance U.S. diplomacy around the world. Senator Van Hollen fought to include the following provisions:

• Greater flexibility for foreign service families’ housing arrangements. Currently, foreign service officers (FSOs) are permitted to break housing leases when transitioning to an overseas post, but not when they are assigned a new domestic post – an issue that heavily impacts diplomatic security agents who frequently serve in domestic offices outside of Washington, D.C. This provision allows FSOs on official orders to break leases without financial penalties, regardless of where they serve.
  
  
• Portability of professional licenses. FSOs and their family members often run the risk of losing their professional licenses when they relocate on official orders – particularly harming the employment prospects of FSOs’ family members. This provision offers the same professional license portability benefit that is already available to family of military members.
  
  
• Expanded eligibility for the State Department child care subsidy. The application for the State Department’s employee child care subsidy is open only for a brief period each year, making it difficult for FSOs who relocate from a post where they did not require child care to one where they do. This provision allows FSOs to enroll in child care services any time a life-qualifying event occurs, and requires the State Department to issue guidance to employees on how to apply for existing child care subsidy programs provided by the agencies.
  
  
• Fair pay for locally-hired foreign service generalists and specialists. Currently, locally hired foreign service personnel (residing within 50 miles of the Washington Monument) receive base pay without the locality adjustment of 32.49 percent that non-local hires receive, and without any reimbursement for lodging or per diem expenses for the duration of onboarding and training, which can last up to 12 months. This provision makes local hires eligible to receive certain per diem reimbursements to assist with living expenses. 

Additional provisions to advance American technological competitiveness and military readiness that the Senator supported include:

• Up to $500 million from spectrum auction proceeds for the Department of Commerce’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (“Tech Hubs”) program, which was established in the bipartisan CHIPS & Science Act of 2022. Funds can be used to support designated Tech Hubs and to expand the program. In 2023, The Baltimore Region Tech Hub was designated as one of the thirty-one inaugural Tech Hubs, out of a competitive pool of nearly 400 applications from across the country.
  
  
• $102.3 million funding authorization for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to partner with the Department of Defense on research and development for national security purposes.

Additional provisions to support servicemembers and their families that the Senator supported include:

• $177 million funding authorization to accelerate replacement of poor and failing unaccompanied housing and barracks, and a requirement to create a database of housing complaints to track mold growth, carbon monoxide, and radiation, among other health hazards
  
  
• Elimination of copayments for all FDA approved, granted, or cleared contraceptives for beneficiaries of TRICARE, a health care program for uniformed service members, retirees, and their families
  
  
• Codification of the Small Business Administration’s “Boots to Business” Program, which provides entrepreneurship training to servicemembers transitioning to civilian life
  
  

Senator Van Hollen submitted a statement for the record further explaining his position on the FY25 NDAA, which can be viewed here.