WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today welcomed Senate passage of the final 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The vote was 87-13. This is the 63rd straight year both chambers of Congress have reached an agreement on annual Department of Defense (DOD) activities. 

“Passing the NDAA is a core way Congress can prioritize U.S. national security," Grassley said. "I’m glad this year’s authorization received such broad bipartisan backing. Investing in our service members and strengthening the government’s capabilities to keep Americans safe should always be unifying objectives. This legislation will empower the Defense Department to sharpen its strategies relating to conflicts abroad, enhance its recruitment tools and support military families.”  

Grassley secured the following priorities:

  • The Preventing Child Sex Abuse Act to strengthen laws against child sex tourism and other sex offenses. 
  • A Baltic Security Resolution to improve reporting on the Baltic Security Initiative, an existing United States defense partnership with Baltic countries. The provision directs DOD to update U.S. assistance plans in light of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine and new regional defense plans NATO adopted at the Vilnius Summit.
  • The preservation of pro-competition guardrails like the five percent market share threshold, which helps ensure Federal Prison Industries and the private sector are on a level playing field when vying for DOD contracts and sales.

Additional NDAA highlights include:

  • A 5.2 percent pay raise for military service members and DOD’s civilian workforce. 
  • A provision allowing former service members who were discharged solely for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine to seek a review by the DOD to change their discharge status.
  • An increase in the number of military service academy nominations allocated to each member of Congress. This year, Grassley could nominate 10 Iowans per academy; next fall, thanks to the 2024 NDAA, he can nominate up to 15 Iowans per academy. Iowans can learn more about the process to apply for a nomination HERE. 

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