Shaheen Applauds Senate Passage of Annual Defense Bill, Highlights Key New Hampshire and National Security Wins She Secured

**Senate-passed NDAA includes the largest pay raise for enlisted service members in decades, as well as landmark Shaheen amendments to eliminate contraception co-pays for women in the military, support New Hampshire’s workforce and defense industrial base and reauthorize the Women, Peace and Security Act**

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), released the following statement applauding U.S. Senate passage of the fiscal year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which she helped shape to directly respond to challenges facing America’s national security and military readiness. As the second-ranking Democrat on SASC, Senator Shaheen is instrumental in fighting to include provisions that both accomplish top national security objectives and enhance New Hampshire’s role in support of our national defense. The bill now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. 

“The annual defense bill is an opportunity to advance our country’s national security goals and address issues facing Granite State families. While I don’t agree with everything in this bipartisan compromise, working across the aisle to bolster our defense, support service members and provide for communities makes our nation stronger and sends an important message to our allies and adversaries,” said Shaheen. “From the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to our innovative defense manufacturing industry, New Hampshire plays an integral role in boosting our national security. That’s why I was proud to secure provisions to support our state’s contributions while also addressing challenges, like tackling PFAS contamination, ensuring access to benefits for service members and supporting our defense industry and installations.” 

After passing the U.S. Senate, the bill now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. Below is a summary of top New Hampshire and national security priorities secured by Shaheen in the FY 2025 NDAA. 

Critically, the bill authorizes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted (E1-E4) and a 4.5% pay raise for all other service members. This is one of the largest pay raises for junior enlisted service members in history. The bill also addresses the service member cost of living allowance and expands access to the basic needs allowance.

Summary of Key New Hampshire Priorities Set to Become Law

Investing in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and New England’s Shipbuilding Workforce:   

Senator Shaheen built on her long legacy of support for New England’s shipbuilding industry and workforce by authorizing funding and workforce development for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The Senate-passed FY 2025 NDAA includes full authorization for the Shipbuilding Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) projects at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which will expand the Shipyard’s capacity to maintain America’s fast-attack submarine fleet. As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations and Armed Services Committees, Senator Shaheen helped secure this funding beginning in the FY 2019 funding legislation, which she has continued in ensuing years.   

Shaheen also secured a five-year exemption to the Integrated Lodging Program for employees of public shipyards. The Senate-passed FY 2025 NDAA extends the initial exemption, which Shaheen led, for five years. The Integrated Lodging Program places significant burdens on shipyards’ ability to recruit and retain employees, and after hearing from Shipyard employees and labor organizations, Shaheen secured the exemption initially in the FY 2020 NDAA and prevented it from expiring this year. 

Additionally, the Senate-passed bill includes authorization for the procurement of one Virginia-class submarine, which are repaired at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and $3.7 billion in advanced procurement. Senator Shaheen is a steadfast supporter of the Virginia-class program and is a fierce advocate for shipyard priorities. Shaheen also helped secure $3.3 billion for Columbia-class submarine procurement and $6.2 billion in advanced procurement for the program. Undersea warfare is critical to maintaining deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, and New England’s shipbuilding industrial base contributes directly to this national security priority.  

Supporting the New Hampshire National Guard:  

As co-chair of the bipartisan U.S. Senate National Guard Caucus, Senator Shaheen has long advocated on behalf of National Guard members and fought to ensure the New Hampshire National Guard remains fully equipped. The FY 2025 NDAA includes Shaheen’s request to increase Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) end strength for the Air National Guard.  

Notably, the Senate-passed bill also includes an amendment authored by Shaheen to require the National Guard Bureau to report to Congress on the operational impacts of its announcement to level manpower across states, including in New Hampshire. In May, the National Guard Bureau heeded Shaheen’s calls and granted New Hampshire an exemption to the re-leveling for one year. This new provision would require the Guard Bureau to report to Congress before implementation.   

In addition, Shaheen secured $2.7 billion for the procurement of 15 KC-46A Pegasus refueling tankers, which are flown at Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire. Earlier this year, Shaheen traveled to the Indo-Pacific region, where she highlighted the acquisition of the KC-46 refueling tanker by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.  

Expanding Shaheen’s Historic PFAS Health Impact Study and Confronting Full Scope of Challenges Posed by Forever Chemicals: 

Senator Shaheen reauthorized $5 million to expand the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) PFAS health impact study that she established five years ago. It also authorizes $40 million in increased funding for PFAS cleanup efforts within the different military services and codifies existing Department of Defense (DoD) policy compelling the military services to act to address any release or threatened release of PFAS. Finally, the legislation includes a provision from Shaheen that requires DoD to procure cleaning products without harmful PFAS chemicals. Senator Shaheen leads efforts in Congress to uncover the potential health effects related to PFAS contamination, and because of her efforts, Pease Air National Guard Base is serving as a model site for the nationwide study. 

These provisions build on a decade of Shaheen’s historic work to hold the Department of Defense responsible for remediation of PFAS contamination at military bases and ensure transparency for affected communities. The FY 2024 NDAA included requirements for the Department of Defense to share how they intend to restore PFAS testing data with state regulators and impacted communities, like at Pease. It also included a provision requiring the Department to submit a separate budget justification to Congress to ensure investments in PFAS testing and remediation are used efficiently and effectively, as well as directing recurring reports on the Defense Department’s PFAS-related activities to increase oversight. Shaheen’s amendment to the FY 2023 NDAA prohibited the Department of Defense from purchasing PFAS-laden firefighting turnout gear after October 1, 2026. This followed Shaheen led efforts to expand blood testing and treatment for firefighters exposed to PFAS and a similar amendment she secured to ban the use of PFAS-laden firefighting foam in the FY 2020 NDAA. Previously, as a lead negotiator of water provisions in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Shaheen secured record-level funding to upgrade drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and address PFAS contamination. 

Protecting Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) Programs in New Hampshire:  

The bill includes Senator Shaheen’s bipartisan legislation with Senator Capito (R-WV), the Preserving JROTC Programs Act. This would reduce the statutory enrollment requirement for Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) programs from 100 to 50 students to prevent programs from shuttering. In New Hampshire, there are five Air Force JROTC programs. Two of them are currently on probation and another two are at risk of being put on probation due to current enrollment requirements. Nationally, there are more than 270 Air Force JROTC programs that do not meet the enrollment requirement. 

Supporting New Hampshire’s Defense Industry:  

Senator Shaheen successfully included language encouraging the Army to prioritize U.S.-based manufacturers for critical components of its Night Vision Device-Next devices, a binocular night vision goggle system that helps our warfighters remain the best fighting force in the world. Shaheen’s provision will promote continued investment in New Hampshire’s night vision manufacturing industrial base and ensure our soldiers have the technology they need to maintain a decisive advantage on the battlefield. 

Shaheen also worked to include additional funding for the procurement of 42 F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, as well as 13 F-35C Carrier Variant and 13 F-35B Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing Joint Strike Fighters. Shaheen is a steadfast supporter of the F-35 program, which enhances U.S. national security while also investing in New Hampshire’s economy and role in supporting our national defense. New Hampshire has 58 first-tier suppliers for the program. Shaheen also helped secure additional funding to procure 24 F-15EX fighter aircraft.  

Summary of National Priorities Set to Become Law

Protecting Access to Contraception:   

In the FY 2025 Senate-passed NDAA, Shaheen secured an historic amendment to require that all women who receive health care through the military have access to FDA-approved contraception without insurance co-pays. This brings TRICARE in line with civilian health plans, eliminating an undue financial burden for women and dependents in the military. The Shaheen amendment also requires the Department of Defense to develop a comprehensive family planning education program for service members to ensure families can make informed decisions about their future. Further, the Shaheen amendment guarantees that survivors of sexual assault in the military have access to emergency contraception. After overcoming more than a decade of obstruction on this amendment, the Shaheen provision was adopted on a bipartisan vote and will go into effect immediately. 

Shaheen also helped secure an amendment to improve contraception counseling services for service members, including by mandating contraceptive counseling information in periodic health assessments and providing information on contraception in pre-deployment service forms. Shaheen built on her work from the FY 2016 and FY 2017 NDAAs, both of which were signed into law and required the Department of Defense to develop a comprehensive policy to ensure access to contraceptive counseling for service members and required the Department to conduct a survey on active-duty service women’s experiences with family planning services and counseling.    

Extending the Authorization of the Shaheen-Led Women, Peace and Security Law: 

Shaheen helped to successfully extend the implementation of her landmark Women, Peace, and Security Act, bipartisan legislation she authored that was signed into law in 2017. Senator Shaheen’s provision in the FY 2025 Senate-passed NDAA ensures the Department of Defense can continue its security cooperation with foreign partners, giving America a strategic advantage over adversaries who devalue women’s participation in conflict resolution and political-military affairs. The provision also authorizes the continued implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda within the Department of Defense, which requires women’s participation and gender analysis to be incorporated into security cooperation programs carried out by the Department. 

Addressing Service Members and Military Families’ Mental Health and Quality of Life: 

The bill includes language from Senator Shaheen’s bipartisan legislation with Senator Fischer (R-NE), the MOMS who Serve Act, to create a perinatal mental health prevention program for service women. The NDAA also reauthorizes legislation led by Shaheen, the Portable Certification of Spouses (PCS) Act, to ensure that military spouses can transfer their professional licenses from state-to-state. Finally, the bill authorizes over $176 million for the design and construction of new child care centers and fully funds child care fee assistance programs for military families. 
 
Addressing Global Security Challenges:  

The bill includes Senator Shaheen’s standalone legislation with Senator Cornyn (R-TX), the Aiding the Enemy Act, which amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to include providing military education, military training or tactical advice to the enemy as prohibited acts under the UCMJ.  

Shaheen also successfully included an extension of the Counter-ISIS Train and Equip funds to be used to assist the Syrian Democratic Forces in containing the ISIS detainee population in Syria in the FY 2025 NDAA. This builds on Shaheen’s work from the FY 2024 NDAA which was signed into law last year and included a Shaheen provision to designate a senior coordinator at the State Department to lead U.S. government efforts to address the humanitarian and security crises at ISIS detainee and displaced persons camps in northeastern Syria. The provision also directed the Administration to develop an interagency strategy to address the threats posed by the camps, with the goal of ultimately repatriating all inhabitants and closing the camps. 

In addition, Shaheen supported the authorization of $15.6 billion to the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, which enhances U.S. force posture and readiness in the Indo-Pacific region. The NDAA also establishes the Taiwan Security Initiative, which will help to strengthen collective deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. 

The bill includes language based on Senator Shaheen’s provision requiring the Secretary of Defense to review security cooperation activities with Georgia in light of the passage of its Russian-aligned foreign agents law. 

Supporting America’s Small Businesses: 

As Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Senator Shaheen worked to include several provisions to support small businesses that will: 

• Allow Military Research Institutions like the U.S. Naval Academy to clearly participate in the DoD’s Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. 

• Direct DoD to allocate initial funds to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and STTR programs based on the prior two years’ funding, providing more consistent funding for small businesses working on innovative solutions for national security. 

• Codify the Small Business Administration (SBA’s) Boots to Business program, which offers entrepreneurial training programs to service members, military spouses, veterans and National Guard and Reserve members.  

• Require that contract opportunities for small businesses use plain language in notices. 

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