Palmetto State News

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham expressed approval after the Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation, which had already been approved by the House of Representatives, is now awaiting the President's signature to become law.

"I am very pleased that the Senate has passed the NDAA for the 64th year in a row," said Senator Graham. "This bill is a win for our men and women in uniform, giving them pay raises and better equipment. It also eliminates many of the woke programs that have been plaguing the military. From a South Carolina perspective, this bill has millions for military construction and is a big win for the Savannah River Site to sustain our nation’s nuclear arsenal."

The NDAA includes significant provisions for South Carolina. It authorizes billions for sustaining the nation's nuclear arsenal at the Savannah River Site and millions for military construction projects in South Carolina, benefiting both active and reserve components.

The act also provides a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and a 4.5 percent pay raise for other servicemembers.

In terms of policy direction, it emphasizes "warfighting, not wokeness." This includes preventing the Department of Defense (DOD) from funding puberty blockers and other drugs related to gender dysphoria treatment that could lead to sterilization among minor dependents of servicemembers. It also imposes a one-year hiring freeze on individuals working on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives within DOD, prohibits personnel from promoting critical race theory concepts within DOD, mandates comprehensive U.S. Constitution training for newly commissioned officers, and reallocates over $50 million from DEI programming towards counter-narcotics support.