WASHINGTON, D.C. – There’s good news and more good news after partisan fighting in Congress the last few weeks threatened to derail key economic boosts and aid to Americans.
Just in time for Christmas, a partial government shutdown was avoided and junior enlisted troops will receive a 14.5% pay increase in 2025. In addition, critical disaster relief appropriations and economic assistance to farmers was approved.
“Governing by continuing resolution is never ideal,” said Congressman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Chairman of the Appropriations Committee. “But Congress has a responsibility to keep the government open and operating for the American people. The alternative – a government shutdown – would be devastating for our national defense and for our constituents and would be a grave mistake.
“Today’s (Dec. 20) bill avoids such a self-inflicted error. Today’s bill will also provide much-needed relief to Americans struggling to recover from recent natural disasters. This includes destruction in my own district, which faced tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma. And it will especially provide support for communities ravaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.”
Cole also noted that the continuing resolution will allow President- elect Donald Trump to participate in the Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations process. Lawmakers have enacted a total of 137 continuing resolutions over the past 28 fiscal years, according to statistics from the Congressional Research Service. The latest stopgap measure will keep the government operating until March 14, when the issues will come to the negotiating table again. National Defense The Defense Bill, also known as The Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (FY25 NDAA), authorizes $895 billion for national defense. This honors the spending cap mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, according to a press release from insidedefense.com.
The measure passed the House by a vote of 281-140 on Dec. 11, with most Democrats casting “no” votes. The reason, reported a political digital newspaper, was due to language that restricts gender-affirming medical care from the military’s TRICARE health system for transgender children. Considered a “culture war issue,” the Defense Bill was signed by President Joe Biden on Dec. 23, with the restrictions in place. The Senate passed the measure on Dec. 18, a week after the House, by a vote of 85-14, which advanced the bill to the president’s desk.
In part, a few key points of the bill include: • Compensation: It fully funds the 4.5% pay raise in January for all service members and the additional 10% raise for junior enlisted troops, which will kick in at the beginning of April. Basic allowance for housing will increase by 5.4% for the second year in a row.
• Childcare and Early Education: The bill fully funds the president’s budget request for the operation, renovation and repair of child development centers, and supports full-day, universal pre-kindergarten for military families.
• Suicide Prevention and Response: $261.2 million is allocated, which supports continued implementation of the recommendations of the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee.
• Sexual Assault Prevention: The bill provides $47 million above the budget request for the Special Victims’ Counsel program to help survivors of sexual assault.
• Global Readiness: It provides $2 billion above the budget request to improve military readiness across the services.
• Army Modernization: The Defense Bill supports Army signature modernization across all eight cross-functional teams and fully funds the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program; precision fires; and next-generation counter-small unmanned aerial system missile development.
The budget review was released by the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations.
American Relief Act of 2025 Highlights of the American Relief Act were reviewed by Cole through a House Appropriations news release. In part, a few key points of the bill include:
• Provides much-needed relief to Americans struggling to recover from natural disasters.
• Includes $110 billion in disaster assistance for relief efforts in Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Western regions, among others.
• Of this, $31 billion for disaster and economic assistance to agriculture producers.
• $29 billion for FEMA’s response, recovery and mitigation activities related to Presidentially declared major disasters, including Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
• $12 billion for the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program to help local, state and tribal governments recover from presidentially declared disasters.
• $8.1 billion for the Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief Program to reimburse states for highway and bridge repairs.
• $2.2 billion to support small businesses and individuals through the Small Business Administration disaster loan program. This includes funding for the SBA Office of Inspector General for audits and reviews of disaster loans.
• $1.81 billion to support planning and design activities required to repair and replace military construction and veterans affairs infrastructure.
• $3.1 billion for infrastructure improvements for drinking water and wastewater systems.
• $2.3 billion for repairing roads and facilities within national parks and rehabilitating historic structures in communities impacted by disasters.
• $6 billion for repairing national forest roads and facilities.
• $362.5 million to support rural community water and waste, housing and community facility disaster recovery.
• The act also helps to target resources toward rural communities, particularly farmers and ranchers facing both a tough farm economy and the aftermath of multiple disasters.