Supporting Our Military and Servicemembers

This week, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual defense bill which bolsters our national defense and ensures our military readiness. As the United States faces threats from adversaries like China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia, we must make smart investments to maintain our position as the most secure nation in the world. Here are a few of the important provisions in this year's package:

Supports Our Troops

Servicemember quality of life concerns are a major cause of low morale and family stress which undermines recruitment, retention, and military readiness. The FY25 NDAA authorizes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and supports a 4.5% pay increase for all other servicemembers. This legislation also improves our servicemembers and their families' access to medical care by expanding the number of doctors and nurses working for the Department of Defense (DoD).

Saves Taxpayer Dollars

As we invest in vital priorities, we also must look to weed out inefficiencies and waste. This year's NDAA saves taxpayers $31 billion, or 4% of current DoD spending levels. The bill cuts inefficient defense programs, obsolete weapons systems, and unnecessary Pentagon bureaucracy. This includes over $13.3 billion from the divestment of obsolete aircrafts, $1.8 billion from the decommissioning of outmoded ships, and over $630 million in cuts to redundant and inefficient programs.

Strengthens Military Readiness

The NDAA focuses on countering the potential threats to our nation and reinforcing our military capacity. First, the bill increases funding for innovative new technologies including hypersonics, AI, autonomous systems, cyber, mobile micronuclear reactors, and high energy lasers. This legislation also increases funding to develop counter drone systems and accelerates the fielding of air defense capabilities for our U.S. Air Force.

China is one of our strongest adversaries and it is critically important our military is ready to deter any nefarious activity. Specifically, the NDAA authorizes $15.6 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to enhance U.S. deterrence and defense posture in the Indo-Pacific region. Additionally, the bill prohibits the DoD from contracting with any company tied to the Chinese Communist Party.

This legislation also remains focused on countering threats to our national security from state sponsors of terror, foreign terrorist organizations, and other adversaries. This includes, Iran, Afghanistan and the Taliban, North Korea, and Russia.

Secures Our Border

Border security is national security. This bill fully supports deployment of National Guard troops to the southwest border. It also authorizes $90 million for construction of a new Joint Inter-Agency Task Force South (JIATF-S) Command and Control Facility to detect and block illegal migrants and narcotics. Counternarcotics activities will also receive a $10 million increase in funding.

Next Steps

This legislation passed the House this week. As it has already passed the Senate, members from both chambers will reconcile any differences before the bill heads to the President's desk to be signed into law.

Click here to read a summary of the bill.

Click here to read the full bill. 

Improving Zip Code Boundaries

Currently in the United States, some municipalities have ZIP codes that don't match their municipal boundary. When physical and mailing addresses differ because multiple ZIP codes converge within one municipality, it causes confusion for families in Wisconsin and nationwide.

Numerous communities in Wisconsin, including Somers, Mount Pleasant, Caledonia, and Franklin, have dealt with unnecessary difficulties as a result. Besides mail delivery issues, inaccurate address listings can cause delays in emergency service response times, higher insurance rates, problems with tax rebates, confusion over polling places, incorrect jury summons, and other community identity issues, including negative financial impacts to local governments, landlords, and businesses.

This week, I led legislation through the House that will direct the United States Postal Service to designate single, unique ZIP codes for certain communities. Aligning ZIP codes with municipal boundaries is common sense, and I'm proud to have helped this bill pass the House.

I addressed this bill's importance on the House floor.

To watch the full video, click here.

To read the full bill, click here.

In Wisconsin we love the Great Lakes. These waters – Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, and Lake Superior – constitute the largest system of surface freshwater on Earth, provide drinking water for an estimated 33 million people, and support 25.8 million jobs generating over $1.3 trillion in wages.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act of 2024 is a bipartisan bill that ensures that one of the most important freshwater ecosystems on the globe is properly protected. The GLRI has boasted consistent bipartisan support since its inception in 2010. This critical piece of legislation has resulted in more than 7,500 projects underway or completed and has resulted in economic returns of more than 3 to 1 across the region.

This week, I urged Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, and Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, to ensure the GRLI is considered in the House before the end of the 118th Congress. I am hopeful this bill will come to the House floor soon and will continue my work to promote the environmental and economic health of our region.

To read the full letter, click here.

On Wisconsin,

Bryan Steil
Member of Congress

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