Moran Minute: Congress Acts to Strengthen National Security, Advance Conservative Values

Dear Friends,

Under the Biden Administration, our country has witnessed significant deterioration in national security and military capabilities. Our foreign adversaries have become empowered in their aggression and threats, drug cartels have overrun our southern border, and the Biden Administration has attempted to infiltrate our Department of Defense (DOD) with woke policies that politicize our military and push a liberal agenda on our servicemembers. This is unacceptable on all fronts.

This week, Congress took action to address these issues by passing the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense (NDAA) Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25). I voted in favor of this legislation because it addresses the pressing national security threats our country faces and provides our servicemembers with a sorely needed pay increase, while ensuring fiscal responsibility by adhering to the statutory spending caps established in the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), and combating the woke leftist agenda that threatens our military readiness and capabilities. This legislation is strongly supported by conservative champions such as Heritage Action for America and the Family Research Council.

Rather than chasing a liberal wish list, our DOD must be laser focused on its mission of ensuring America is prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow. This NDAA fulfills that commitment and delivers for our military servicemembers, while cutting inefficient defense programs, obsolete weapons systems, and unnecessary Pentagon bureaucracy. It is past time that we have a military that prioritizes defense readiness and American security over a liberal ideological agenda.

Importantly, this year’s NDAA also secures significant wins for Texas:

• Provides Texas’ 167,700 servicemembers with a pay increase — a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and a 4.5% pay raise for all other servicemembers.
• Authorizes $575.7 million for military construction projects in Texas, including $34 million for a vehicle paint shop at Red River Army Depot.
• Expands programs to help Texas’ 50,900 military spouses attain and retain employment.
• Creates a pathway to improve recruitment to senior military colleges like Texas A&M University.
• Increases access to childcare for the 82,100 children of military families in Texas.
• Supports hypersonics research occurring in Texas.

The FY25 NDAA will advance American deterrence efforts and advance conservative principles by restoring lethality; securing America’s borders; ensuring oversight and accountability; deterring China; defending Israel; and increasing compensation for servicemembers. Specifically, this legislation advances conservative values by terminating gender-related treatments for minors, eliminating CRT curriculum in military training, extending the freeze on DEI hiring, and prohibiting the DOD from contracting with companies that censor conservative speech.

The FY25 NDAA takes an important step toward a defense budget that flows from strategy—establishing a less politicized DOD that focuses on remaining as capable and lethal as possible to protect the national security interests of Americans. And it accomplishes these objectives while maintaining fiscal responsibility and oversight.

Some of the most critical conservative principles included in the FY25 NDAA focus on protecting women and children. These measures address issues ranging from banning funding for transgender medical treatments for children to improving pro-life protections in previously inadequate IVF language. Additionally, the bill upholds and builds upon the significant victories achieved in last year’s NDAA regarding DEI policies.

You can read more about the conservative wins included in the FY25 NDAA by clicking HERE.

Next Tuesday, December 17, I will be hosting a telephone townhall focused on cryptocurrency with special guest, Perianne Boring. She currently serves as the founder and CEO of The Digital Chamber, the world’s largest trade association representing the blockchain industry. I look forward to using this tele-townhall as an opportunity for folks in the First District to learn more about cryptocurrency and how it fits into President Trump’s America First agenda.

This will be a tremendous opportunity to hear from an industry-leading expert on cryptocurrency. We hope to discuss how it works, future industry uses, and investor perspective, along with a Q&A opportunity. I hope you join!

Moran in the Media