Lewis-Burke has provided campus with a report about the conferenced version of the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA authorizes programs and establishes policies that advance U.S. national security programs across the government, including the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy (DOE). The NDAA is generally considered an annual “must-pass” bill, given its substantial impacts on national security and the U.S. military.
The conferenced bill would authorize a topline of $895.2 billion for national security programs– adhering to budget levels set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) and ultimately rejecting the $25 billion increase approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee. While the FY 2025 NDAA would underscore the importance of emerging and critical technologies, especially AI and biotechnology, the bill would slightly decrease authorization levels for most basic and applied research accounts. Additional information related to research and development, defense innovation and commercialization, and research security can be found in the attached analysis.
Despite the inclusion of some controversial provisions, the House approved the final FY 2025 NDAA in a 281-140 vote on Wednesday, December 11. The bill now heads to the Senate and is on track to be signed into law before the end of the year, as it has been for the last 64 years. Ultimately, funding for the national security programs relies on congressional appropriations, and there is no clear path for finalizing FY 2025 appropriations, as the government is still funded at FY 2024 levels through a continuing resolution (CR) expiring December 20.