20 Nov 2024 BPC Action Urges Congress to Pass Critical Fiscal Year 2025 NDAA and End-of-Year Priorities  in Energy and Environment, National Security and Defense

As Congress turns to the end-of-year legislative agenda, BPC Action urges congressional leadership to enact important policies that will support America’s security, families, and sustainability. These include completion of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), federal spending bills for fiscal year 2025, the farm bill, energy permitting reform, legislation to address the safety of children online, and extension of expiring health care provisions. Our country needs Congress to take strong bipartisan action on these critical measures to positively impact Americans across the country.

Provisions to include in the final FY25 NDAA bill: 

• Retain critical minerals provisions that help secure U.S. supply chains by reducing dependence on China’s critical mineral supply, bolstering the American workforce, and strengthening national security against market manipulation by foreign adversaries. 

• Retain a paid family leave expansion provision to ensure that members of the Coast Guard Reserve receive the same parental leave benefits as reservists for other armed forces. 

• Include artificial intelligence legislation to maintain American global leadership in AI, strengthen national security, and spur AI innovation. 

Other Legislative Priorities for Consideration: 

Before the end of the year, BPC Action urges Congress to complete FY25 appropriations to provide critical funding for priorities such as energy innovation, child care, and affordable housing, in addition to several other pieces of legislation that have cross-party support and would directly benefit Americans of all ages and backgrounds: 

• Full farm bill reauthorization will support American farmers, ranchers, landowners, and rural communities while strengthening nutrition programs. 

• Bipartisan permitting reform policies such as the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 (S. 4753), would streamline energy infrastructure permitting while achieving environmental and economic goals. 

• Children’s online safety legislation like the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 7890/S. 1418) and the Kids Online Safety Act (H.R. 7891/S. 1409) would address challenges related to privacy and online safety, especially for children. 

• Extension of expiring health care provisions, including telehealth policies and the Acute Hospital at Home waiver flexibilities, such as in the Preserving Telehealth, Hospital and Ambulance Access Act (H.R. 8261) and Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024 (H.R. 7623) would extend these necessary services. 

We hope to see Congress finish this substantial work and pass these priorities before the end of the year. 

Read the full letter to congressional leadership here.