Washington, DC – Mothers serving in the United States military have a lot on their plate. To help improve their quality of life, With Honor Action is endorsing the Maintaining Our Obligation to Moms (MOMS) Who Serve Act, bipartisan legislation led by For Country Caucus founding Vice Chair, Representative Chrissy Houlahan, and founding Co-Chair, Representative Don Bacon. This bipartisan legislation would establish a pilot program to assess the feasibility and impact of providing evidence-based perinatal mental health programs for pregnant and postpartum servicemembers. Rep. Bacon and Rep. Houlahan also lead the House Armed Services Committee’s Military Quality of Life Panel.

A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that one in three female servicemembers experience maternal mental health conditions, almost double the national average for civilian women. To combat this issue, the MOMS Who Serve Act would implement evidence-based models across the military to support perinatal health outcomes for serving mothers.

“For our troops, mental readiness must be as important as physical readiness to give their best in defense of our country,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “In recognition of a new generation of warfighters, military leadership owes it to mothers and their families to provide them with the resources to make sure this is possible. With Honor Action endorses the MOMS Who Serve Act and thanks Rep. Houlahan and Rep. Bacon for their leadership.”

In 2021, With Honor Action successfully helped pass Rep. Houlahan’s Military Moms Matter Act, which increased access to postpartum care in Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs), including mental health assessments. We urge Congress to include this important legislation in the upcoming drafting of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025.

###

With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at WithHonor.org 

With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.

Washington, DC – As conflicts around the world continue to rage, the United States must be prepared to defend our interests, friends, and partners around the globe. To improve our preparedness, With Honor Action endorses the TIGER Act, bipartisan legislation led by For Country Caucus Members Representative Mike Waltz and Representative Seth Moulton. As Members of the Technical, Industrial, and Governmental Engagement for Readiness (TIGER) task force, they introduced this bill to streamline the process for U.S. foreign military sales (FMS) to our friends and partners around the world.

The current FMS process is plagued by delays and backlogs, and TIGER lawmakers are working to address that issue. In order to authorize sales worth $14 million or more, the President must receive approval from Congress, before a plethora of next steps can begin. This amount hasn’t been adjusted for inflation in 21 years. The TIGER Act seeks to raise the dollar amount threshold to $23 million. This would significantly decrease wait times and allow allies such as Taiwan and Ukraine to receive critical arms shipments in a timely manner.

“Our friends in Ukraine are on the brink of disaster, and the weapons they need are stuck due to a dated and inefficient process,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “With Honor Action endorses the TIGER Act, and we look forward to the streamlining of the FMS process. We thank Representative Waltz and Representative Moulton for coming together in a bipartisan fashion to address this issue.”

The world is depending on us. The TIGER Act is bipartisan, common-sense legislation that would adjust our FMS process to align with inflation and allow us to safeguard freedom and democracy around the world.

###

With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at WithHonor.org 

With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.

Washington, D.C. – The House Armed Services Committee’s Military Quality of Life Panel has just released their report and recommendations for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. With Honor Action endorses their recommendations to improve military pay and compensation, child care, housing, access to health care, and spouse support programs.

The Military Quality of Life Panel is a bipartisan group led by For Country Caucus founding Co-Chair, Rep. Don Bacon, and founding Vice Chair, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan and includes caucus members Rep. Don Davis and Rep. Morgan Luttrell. The panel was formed in June 2023 to address the pressing quality of life issues faced by many servicemembers and their families. Since then, they have held hearings, briefings, roundtables, and oversight visits at military installations. Based on the findings from these hearings, they have compiled a report of their findings and recommendations that can be found here.

“Military quality of life has been a top priority for With Honor Action since our founding,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “Our troops are giving their best every day, and they deserve nothing less from their leadership. With Honor Action is actively working alongside the members of the For Country Caucus to address these issues of food insecurity, housing, and access to mental and maternal healthcare in the military, and we urge lawmakers to place these issues at the top of their priorities as well.”

In previous years, With Honor Action has worked closely with the bipartisan members of the For Country Caucus and the Senate to deliver for our servicemembers and their families. Our work has included the passage of the Military Moms Matter Act, which standardized parental leave policies across all the service branches; the Brandon Act, which made it easier for servicemembers to seek mental health resources confidentially; and the Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act, which extends active-duty parental leave eligibility standards to the Reserve Components and National Guard.

With Honor Action thanks Representative Bacon, Representative Houlahan, and all of the members of the Quality of Life Panel for their leadership and urges Congress to include their recommendations in the FY25 NDAA.

With Honor Action applauds the passage of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) bill, which includes key provisions of the Afghan Allies Protection Act, bipartisan legislation led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senator Roger Wicker. The legislation has now passed through both chambers of Congress and been signed into law by the President.

The bill will strengthen the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program by authorizing an additional 12,000 visas and extending the program through 2025. This is the largest increase in Afghan SIVs to date, and the much-needed extension will allow the State department more time to help resettle our Afghan allies.

“Thank you to the leadership in the Senate for coming together over the weekend and passing this critical bill. This legislation will give thousands of our wartime Afghan allies the chance to build a new life in the United States,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “But the work isn’t done yet. Many of our allies are still on the run from the Taliban in Afghanistan, and With Honor Action will continue to advocate for their safety and well-being. We thank lawmakers in both chambers of Congress for joining together in a bipartisan manner to finally pass this crucial legislation.”

Supporting our Afghan allies has long been a top priority for With Honor Action. They fought with us through our nation’s longest war, and we promised them a new home in the United States. It’s past time we made good on that promise, and With Honor Action looks forward to continuing our work with Congress to support our Afghan allies.

###

With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at WithHonor.org 

With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.

Washington, DC – With Honor Action applauds the passage of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) bill in the U.S. House, which includes key provisions of the Afghan Allies Protection Act, bipartisan legislation led by For Country Caucus co-chair Representative Jason Crow and member Representative Brad Wenstrup.

The bill would strengthen the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program by authorizing an additional 12,000 visas and extending the program through 2025. This would be the largest increase in Afghan SIVs to date, and the much-needed extension would allow the State Department more time to get this important work done.

“Thank you to the House for their leadership and passage of this important legislation. There are thousands of Afghans being hunted by the Taliban as we speak and our allies cannot wait any longer,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “We need to get these people to safety, and passing this bill will give the State Department the ability to do so.”

Supporting our Afghan allies has long been a top priority for With Honor Action. They fought with us through our nation’s longest war, and we promised them a new home in the United States. It’s past time we made good on that promise. 

Washington, DC – With Honor Action is proud to endorse the bipartisan Building Civic Bridges Act, led by Rep. Derek Kilmer and Rep. Andy Barr. This bill would establish a new pilot program within AmeriCorps that would focus on building relationships between people and communities, in an effort to address the root causes of polarization.

The country is divided right now, and organizations like With Honor Action and AmeriCorps could be key to fixing this issue. The Building Civic Bridges Act would take a step in healing our divisiveness by establishing the Office of Civic Bridge Building within AmeriCorps, a long-time friend and partner of With Honor Action. This new program would support bridge building efforts across the country, train members in these programs, and support research on effective bridge building.

“With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress with principled bipartisan veterans who are united in the conviction that our country can be reunited through service,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “We are proud to endorse the Building Civic Bridges Act and we look forward to working with AmeriCorps to enable more Americans from all walks of life to serve.”

With Honor Action Endorses the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act

Washington, DC – With Honor Action is proud to endorse H.R. 7372 – Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act, bipartisan legislation led by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and previous For Country Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jared Golden. This bill would take the first steps in securing aid to our allies around the world who desperately need our help and secure our southern border.

Our national security is in a fragile state, both at home and abroad. The southern border is experiencing issues the likes of which we’ve never seen, and conflicts continue to flare up in different corners of the globe. Our allies in Ukraine and Israel are fighting for their very right to exist, and Taiwan faces a resurgent power across the Strait, which threatens the freedoms it has enjoyed for decades. The Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act would suspend the entry of inadmissible illegal immigrants into the US and ensure that any attempts to cross the border are detained and expelled, as well as provide $66.32 billion in defense funds to our allies in Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel.

“This can’t wait any longer; our national security is on the line,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “Our allies across the world are running out of money, ammunition, and time, and their enemies don’t plan on slowing down. We wholeheartedly endorse this bill and urge Congress to pass it immediately.”

The Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act is bipartisan legislation with support from members of the For Country Caucus, including Rep. Jared Golden, Rep. Don Bacon, and Rep. Don Davis. With Honor Action applauds Rep. Jared Golden and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick for introducing this crucial piece of legislation and urges Congress to put politics aside and act fast to strengthen our national security.

###
With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to service with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at WithHonor.org
With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.

Washington, DC – With Honor Action is urging Congress to come together to pass this critical defense supplemental legislation. From the war in Ukraine and aggression of the Chinese Communist Party, to standing up for our wartime Afghan allies, national security needs to remain a top bipartisan priority for our lawmakers in Congress.

“With Honor Action has made defending our national security a top priority. It’s critical that Congress uphold our nation’s word to our Afghan allies and continue to defend democracy across the globe,” said With Honor Action Co-Founder and CEO, Rye Barcott. “We are urging Congress to pass the defense supplemental quickly to address these issues. Our national security cannot wait any longer.”

Washington, DC – With Honor Action continues to focus on four major areas of legislation as we head into 2024: national security, national service, military quality-of-life, and countering the Chinese Communist Party. These four areas are critical as we look to strengthen our national security, support our military, and create a more united nation at home. With Honor Action is excited to roll out our first legislative endorsements of the year that tackle these significant issues:

Supporting Our Afghan Allies 

• Following the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, tens of thousands of Afghans whose support of American troops put their lives in grave danger were evacuated to the United States and granted temporary residency via humanitarian parole. Unfortunately, this is only a temporary solution that prevents these refugees from being able to move forward with their lives. The only pathways to lawful, permanent residency are claiming asylum and the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, neither of which were designed to respond to a crisis of this scale, and both of which are plagued by backlogs of thousands of cases. 
• Legislation to adjust the immigration status of these Afghans, such as the Afghan Adjustment Act, would provide them with the opportunity to apply for permanent legal residence, expand eligibility in the SIV program, and provide additional vetting to address any national security concerns. In April of last year, the State Department estimated that we left behind over 152,000 allies. To help them escape the perils of Taliban rule and ensure America keeps her word, the Afghan Allies Protection Act would authorize an additional 20,000 SIVs to those remaining in Afghanistan and neighboring countries. 
• Our Afghan allies stood beside us in our longest war and it is well past time that we uphold our promise to take care of them. The world is watching and our sacred national honor is at stake. 

Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Tax Relief Act

• Unlike most service-connected scholarships, including Pell Grants and education benefits from the GI bill, stipends paid to AmeriCorps volunteers are subject to federal income tax, penalizing Americans who choose to pursue public service through AmeriCorps. This bill would remove the income tax on the education award granted to AmeriCorps service members, following states like Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa, which have passed laws to exclude the AmeriCorps education awards from state income tax.

Military Food Security Act of 2023

• Rep. Bacon notes in his opening comments in the video below that at least 15% of our military are currently considered “food insecure” and lack consistent access to nutritious meals for themselves and their families. Bipartisan legislation we are championing to fix this issue includes the Military Food Security Act led by Reps. Bacon and Jimmy Panetta, who together also founded the For Country Caucus 4 years ago. This bill would increase benefits to an estimated 27,000 service members and their families who are currently struggling.
  • The video can be viewed here.

The Five AIs Act

• The bipartisan bill would direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a working group to develop and coordinate an artificial intelligence initiative within the Five Eyes framework, America’s closest and strongest intelligence alliance between the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada. The Chinese government is rapidly expanding their AI capabilities and we need to be prepared to counter any threats they may throw at us and our allies. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Mike Gallagher, a member of the For Country Caucus and chairman of the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

“We had a busy year in 2023 and we don’t plan on slowing down. We managed to get 63 of our priorities in last year’s defense bill, and we hope to use that momentum to keep affecting real, bipartisan change in Congress,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “Our organization looks forward to a year of improving national security, expanding national service, helping service members and their families, and countering the Chinese Communist Party.”

With Honor Action remains committed to our goal of advancing principled veteran leadership in Congress. The priorities and endorsements outlined above are bipartisan solutions to real problems we face as a nation, and we strongly encourage lawmakers to consider them for passage.

###

Below is a list of With Honor Action’s priorities included in the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), broken up into three categories: National Security, Military Quality of Life, and Improving Civic Education and Service Opportunities.

National Security

• Taiwan Cybersecurity Resiliency Act [Sec. 1518: Military cybersecurity cooperation with Taiwan]
  In 2019, the Taiwanese government estimated that it faces 20 to 40 million cyber attacks monthly, with its National Security Bureau alone facing roughly 100,000 hacking attempts each month. This bill, led by Senators Jacky Rosen and Mike Rounds and For Country Caucus members Representatives Mike Gallagher and Chrissy Houlahan, requires the Department of Defense to expand cybersecurity cooperation with Taiwan, including conducting combined cybersecurity training activities and exercises and leveraging United States commercial and military cybersecurity technology to harden Taiwan’s critical national networks, infrastructure, and systems.
• Intellectual Property Strategy [Sec. 808: Pilot program for the use of innovative intellectual property strategies]
  Led by For Country Caucus member Representative Jimmy Panetta, this provision directs the Department of Defense to establish a pilot program for the use of innovative intellectual property strategies to acquire the necessary data rights required for swift acquisition and sustainment of fieldable technologies.
• Oversight of Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act [Sec. 1308]
  Strengthens oversight of the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act by adding reporting requirements on the actions taken to establish or expand comprehensive military training programs with Taiwan, consultative mechanisms with appropriate Taiwanese government officials, and multi-year plans to provide for the acquisition of defensive capabilities.
• Report on Department of Defense roles and responsibilities in support of National Strategy for the Arctic Region [Conference Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Jimmy Panetta, directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a report detailing the Department’s lines of efforts in support of the National Strategy for the Arctic Region, which includes implementation plans for each military department and the Office of Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. This follows With Honor Action’s previous work on the passage of the Arctic Security Initiative Act.
• Codification & Elevation of the Defense Innovation Unit [Sec. 913]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, would codify the Defense Innovation Unit, an organization in the Department of Defense that specializes in identifying, investing in, and adopting commercial dual-use technology at speed and scale and clarifies its Director as the principal staff assistant to the Secretary of Defense on the issues under its jurisdiction.
• Organization & Management of the Defense Innovation Unit [Sec. 913: Support for Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships]
  This subsection authorizes the Defense Innovation Unit to identify and support multi-stakeholder research and innovation across the whole of society, including institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, for-profit commercial enterprises, and departments or agencies of the federal government.
• Plan for an integrated and resilient satellite communications architecture for the Space Force [Sec. 1611]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Jack Bergman, tasks the Department of the Air Force with developing a plan to integrate nuclear-survivable communications satellite constellations for the United States into Space Force capabilities.
• Joint Energetics Transition Office [Sec. 241]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a Joint Energetics Transition Office responsible for evaluating the current regulatory environment and acquisition processes and speeding the development and fielding of advanced energetic materials used in explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics.
• China Defense Spending Transparency Act [Sec. 1313: Studies on defense budget transparency of the People’s Republic of China and the United States ]
  This provision, led by Senators Mitt Romney, Angus King, Joe Manchin, Dan Sullivan, and For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Department of Defense to conduct a comparative study on the transparency of the People’s Republic of China’s public defense spending. This follows reports that China’s defense spending may be as much as double current estimates.
• Critical Mineral Independence Act [Sec. 1414]
  This provision, led by Senators Mitt Romney, Dan Sullivan, and Gary Peters, tasks the Department of Defense to assess vulnerabilities in its supply chain, identify and recommend changes to acquisition laws, regulations, and policies, and prioritize recommendations to achieve critical mineral supply chain independence.
• Matters pertaining to hypersonic capabilities and testing strategies [Sec. 218]
  This provision, building upon a provision led by For Country Caucus member Representative Morgan Luttrell, tasks the Department of Defense with regularly updating and providing a report to Congress on the Department’s hypersonics testing strategy to include the identification of new testing ranges and investments in testing infrastructure.
• Insider Threat Assessment Act [Sec. 7308: Insider Threats]
  Following the leaks of highly classified Pentagon information by airman Jack Teixeira, this provision led by For Country Caucus member Representative Pat Ryan directs the Director of National Intelligence to conduct assessments and audits of compliance of each aspect of the intelligence community’s insider threat detection mechanisms, including those in the Department of Defense, and to identify gaps and shortfalls and the resources needed to address them.
• Briefing on multi-year plan to fulfill defense requirements of military forces of Taiwan [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on the status of efforts to develop and implement the joint multi-year plan to fulfill the defense requirements of military forces of Taiwan that was a statutory requirement passed in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023.
• Seaplane procurement and employment [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Department of Defense to provide an analysis on the feasibility and utility of the Department procuring seaplanes and amphibious aircraft.
• Plan to expedite integration of Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles into legacy aircraft fleets [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Department of Defense to submit a plan to integrate Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles into legacy aircraft fleets.
• Artificial Intelligence in U.S. Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Jeff Jackson, directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on how the Department currently incorporates AI into Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) and any plans to do so over the Future Years Defense Program.
• Cooperation Among U.S. Defense Partners [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Mike Gallagher, directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on ways in which the Department can work with partner countries to provide advice and assistance to Taiwan including in regards to cybersecurity, reserve force management and conscription, counter-disinformation campaigns, and civil missile defense.
• Sec. 1536: Authority to conduct pilot program on Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve
  Building upon previous work, this provision led by Senators Jacky Rosen and Marsha Blackburn authorizes the Department of the Army to establish a Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve to leverage non-military cybersecurity expertise in a reserve capacity to bolster America’s cyber defense capabilities and to strengthen our cyber infrastructure.
• Cybersecurity Risk Inventory, Assessment, and Mitigation Working Group [Sec. 3113]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus members Representatives Salud Carbajal, Don Bacon, and Mike Gallagher, is based on recommendation by the Government Accountability Office recommendation to shore up the cybersecurity resources for the National Nuclear Security Administration. It would Create a working group responsible for developing a strategy to assess and identify at-risk NNSA systems in the operational technology and nuclear weapons information technology environments and implement risk mitigation actions.
• Stop Funding JROTC at CCP-Owned Schools Act [Sec. 553: Prohibition of Establishment or Maintenance of a Unit of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at an Education Institution Owned, Operated, or Controlled by the Chinese Communist Party]
  This provision, led by Senator Ted Cruz and For Country Caucus Members Representatives Michael Waltz and Chrissy Houlahan, would bar the Department of Defense from maintaining JROTC units at educational institutions that are owned, operated, or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese military, or a Chinese military company.

Military Quality of Life

• Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act [Sec. 601: Parental leave parity for members of certain reserve components of the Armed Forces]
  Led by Senators Maggie Hassan and Lisa Murkowski and For Country Caucus members Representatives Zach Nunn and Jeff Jackson, this bill expands parental leave eligibility for Reserve and National Guard members to cover all new parents, not just birthing mothers. In November, With Honor Action led a letter signed by Blue Star Families, the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in support of this bill.
• Including military service in determining Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) eligibility for Federal employees [Sec. 1114]
  Allows military service time to count towards the one year employment requirement for eligibility to use FMLA for veterans who are now Federal employees.
• Military Spouse Employment Act [Sec. 1112]
  Led by Senators Maggie Hassan and James Lankford and For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, this bill allows executive agencies to appoint military spouses to remote work positions where current appointment authority does not specifically extend to remote positions.
• Annual report regarding overdoses by certain members of the Armed Forces [Sec. 724]
  In response to a September 2022 letter, the Department of Defense reported 322 fatal overdoses among active duty service members between 2017 and 2021 and as many as 14,961 non-fatal overdoses from 2017 to the present. Led by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Ed Markey as well as For Country Caucus member Representative Seth Moulton, this provision requires the Secretary of Defense to provide to Congress a report on the number of annual overdoses among service members and their families, and annually for four years after that.
• Establishment of the Military Family Readiness Working Group for Military Housing [Sec. 2821]
  This provision establishes a Working Group for Military Housing within the Department of Defense’s Military Family Readiness Council, a crucial step towards addressing the shortcomings in oversight of privatized military housing, composed of officers and enlisted service members from across the Armed Services, military spouses, and senior Department and branch officials. The Working Group will meet no less than twice a year and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense on policies for covered military housing.
• DOD PFAS Cleanup Transparency Act [Sec. 321: Report on schedule and cost estimates for completion of testing and remediation of contaminated sites; publication of cleanup information]
  This provision, co-led by For Country Caucus members Representatives Jack Bergman and Chrissy Houlahan, requires the Secretary of Defense to regularly update and publish on a publicly available website information on the status of the cleanup of sites for which the Secretary has obligated amounts for environmental restoration activities at military installations with respect to perfluoroalkyl substances and polyperfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
• Military Spouse Career Support Act [Sec. 635: Expansion of qualifying events for which a member of the uniformed services may be reimbursed for spousal relicensing or business costs due to the member’s relocation]
  This provision, led by Senators Jon Ossoff and Eric Schmitt, expands qualifying events under which military spouses may be reimbursed for relicensing and business costs to include transfers from a regular component of a uniformed service into the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve.
• Junior Enlisted Housing Affordability Act [Sec. 622: Improved calculation of Basic Allowance for Housing for junior enlisted members]
  This provision, led by Senators Jon Ossoff and Eric Schmitt, provides the Department of Defense with more flexibility to determine housing stipends for service members.
• Dual Basic Allowance for Housing for training [Sec. 624]
  This provision authorizes a dual Basic Allowance for Housing for reservists without dependents who are called or ordered to active duty to attend training for at least 140 days but fewer than 365 days.
• Comforting Our Military Families through On-Base or Remote Treatment (COMFORT) Act [Sec. Non-medical counseling services for military families]
  This provision, led by Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Dan Sullivan, increases access to counseling services on military bases by allowing Military and Family life counselors to work outside of the state they are licensed, addressing the behavioral health professionals shortage and allowing the Department of Defense to surge resources to areas in response to traumatic events, natural disasters, or deployments.
• Seaman Xavier Sandor Support for Sailors Act [Sec. 623: Basic Allowance for Housing for members assigned to vessels undergoing maintenance]
  This provision, named after Seaman Xavier Sandor, who was one of the three tragic suicide deaths in the span of two weeks aboard the USS George Washington in 2022, was incorporated in part and authorizes a Basic Allowance for Housing for sailors who are assigned to a ship undergoing extended maintenance.
• Modification of calculation of gross household income for basic needs allowance to address areas of demonstrated need [Sec. 621]
  This provision, based on efforts led by Senators Tammy Duckworth and Lisa Murkowski and For Country Caucus members Representatives Jimmy Panetta and Sanford D. Bishop, authorizes the Secretaries of the military branches to exclude from gross income, for the purposes of eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance, any portion of the Basic Allowance for Housing paid to a service member.
• Cost-of-living allowance in the continental United States: High Cost Areas
  This provision expands eligibility for the cost-of-living allowance for service members stationed in CONUS (continental United States) by lowering the threshold for “high cost areas” from 108% to 105% of the average cost of living.
• OCONUS (outside the continental United States) cost-of-living allowance: Adjustments [Sec. 627]
  This provision limits the Department of Defense’s ability to decrease the overseas cost-of-living allowance (OCOLA), a non-taxable allowance received by roughly 230,000 service members on top of their regular pay to offset cost differences while serving abroad. To combat large decreases in the OCALA, the Department may only decrease the OCALA twice per calendar year and is limited in how much the OCALA may be decreased.
• Military Families Mental Health Services Act [Sec. 701: Waiver of cost-sharing for three mental health outpatient visits for certain beneficiaries under the TRICARE program]
  This provision aims to cut costs for active duty military families and expand access to mental health care services by providing family members covered by TRICARE, the military’s health insurance provider, with three free outpatient mental health visits per year, an estimated savings of $90 per person, per year.
• Due date for report on efforts to prevent and respond to deaths by suicide in the Navy [Sec. 592]
  This provision extends the statutory deadline for the Department of Defense’s Inspector General’s office to conclude its report on the suicides that occurred in 2022 among service members assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
• Family Separation Allowance: Increase, Review
  The Family Separation Allowance is an additional compensation paid to service members whose family members cannot live with or near them at their permanent duty station and is currently capped at $250 per month. This provision, led by For Country Caucus Co-Chair Representative Tony Gonzales, will increase this allowance by $150, totaling $400 per month.
• Report on the provision of mental health services via telehealth to members of the Armed Forces and their dependents [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on the Department’s efforts to provide telehealth mental health services, including any challenges experienced by service members and their families in obtaining continuing care when moving states or to a location outside of the United States and how the Department accommodates members of the Armed Forces who benefit from continued care from a specific mental health provider.
• Service member Mental Health Support Act [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing detailing the mental health care referral policies of the Armed Forces and making any related legislative recommendations that the Secretary deems appropriate.
• Government Accountability Office study on process for determining cost-of-living allowances for members of the uniformed services assigned to the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska, and overseas locations [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on determining cost-of-living allowances for service members which includes the fairness of equity of the determination process and whether certain out-of-pocket expenses should be included in such calculations.
• Expansion of authority to pay a member of the Armed Forces who is absent without leave or over leave for such absence [Sec. 603]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Nick LaLota, authorizes the Secretary of Defense to continue to issue pay and allowances to certain members of the Armed Forces who are absent without leave. This follows the tragic, ongoing story of Lt. Ridge Alkonis, who was involved in a fatal car crash in Fujinomiya, Japan, and was sentenced to a three-year prison term despite multiple diagnoses of “acute mountain sickness” which affected Alkonis’s motor abilities. Alkonis’s pay and allowances had originally been revoked when military officers classified him as “absent in violation of orders,” but were restored in the federal funding bill passed at the end of 2022.
• Sense of Congress on access to mental health services through TRICARE [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision expresses Congress’s support for the Department of Defense’s efforts to ensure that members of the National Guard and their covered dependents who are enrolled in TRICARE have timely access to mental health services.
• Report on plan for coverage of certain devices capable of preventing and treating migraines for military personnel [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Don Davis, directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on whether to cover certain migraine prevention devices approved by the Food and Drug Administration capable of treating and preventing migraines for military personnel.
• Annual review and update of online information relating to suicide prevention [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs the Department of Defense to review and update online, publicly available information for suicide prevention efforts, including contact information, and to provide a briefing to Congress indicating the completion of this review and update.
• Study on non-clinical mental health services of the Department of Defense [Conference, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing regarding the Department’s non-clinical mental health services, including how these programs are implemented across the Department, the distribution of non-clinical mental health professionals, their effectiveness, and recommendations for the future of non-clinical mental health programs including the Military and Family Life Counseling Program.
• Report on Access to Breastfeeding Support [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Department of Defense to provide a report on breastfeeding support services offered by the Department including sanitary expression, appropriate storage, and safe transport of breastmilk and to provide clarity on how many servicewomen remain in need of breastfeeding support.
• Report on improving fertility support services for geographically distant service members [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Department of Defense to provide a report that includes the number of service members who have accessed fertility care at a military treatment facility (MTF), an analysis of commercial entities that provide fertility services and estimated cost comparisons to Department facilities, and estimates of potential savings that service members could realize if fertility services were available without the need for travel.
• Report on TRICARE coverage issues for National Guardsmen and Reservists [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, addresses gaps in coverage and providers in TRICARE for National Guardsmen and Reservists who switch between TRICARE Reserve Select and TRICARE Prime as they shift to active-duty service and back. Such changes result in gaps that leave Reservists and National Guardsmen responsible for paying insurance deductibles multiple times per year. In response, the Department of Defense will provide a report that outlines the costs and feasibility of extending TRICARE coverage during transition periods, extending coverage to the entirety of active duty service, and waiving deductibles and lowering the initial premium payment from s two- to one-month premium.
• Protecting Widows of Service Members from Financial Exploitation [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus members Representatives Nick LaLota and Jimmy Panetta, directs the Department of Defense to submit a report on what programs are available to service members and their families that provide financial advice, efforts to decrease conflicts of interest, and if these programs are duplicative of existing programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Indoor Air Quality Monitoring and Remediation [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country caucus member Representative Don Davis, directs the Department of Defense to prepare a plan for a pilot program to omplement integrated air quality monitoring and remediation systems in military housing, healthcare facilities, and other facilities of the Department.
• Comptroller General Report on Perinatal Mental Health in the Military [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision directs to Comptroller General to conduct a review of related Department of Defense efforts to provide perinatal mental health services to members of the Armed Forces and their families, including a review of the specific training, certification, and resources the Defense Health Agency (DHA) makes available to obstetric and pediatric providers and an assessment of the availability of perinatal mental health care within DHA facilities.
• Report on Insurance for Military Housing Projects [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Don Bacon, directs the Department of Defense to provide a report on alternative insurance options for the construction and operation of military family housing and unaccompanied housing, noting that these insurance agreements were, in some cases, established over two decades ago.
• Report on Military Enlistment with Dependents [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Department of Defense to provide a report on the cost and feasibility of implementing faster waiver processes for single parent enlistment and consideration of offering waivers for enlistment above currently maximum allowable dependents based on spousal income. Currently, while the services prohibit enlistment with dependents without a waiver, this prohibition ends a few months after initial training. With nearly 4% of all active duty service members being single parents, this policy does not reflect the real applications of this policy and places and undue restraint on recruitment.
• Report on TRICARE Delays [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Department of Defense to provide a report that includes an accounting of access to care metrics for beneficiaries enrolled in TRICARE to military treatment facilities and a description of business rules for referrals to civilian providers and potential options for increasing these referrals to improve access to care.
• Study on the occupational resiliency of the Cyber Mission Force [Sec. 1538]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus members Representatives Mike Gallagher and Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Department of Defense to conduct a study on the ability of Cyber Mission Force personnel to mitigate unique psychological factors that degrade mental health and job performance, including the accessibility of available resources and a determination regarding the adequacy and accessibility of such resources and programs.
• Protection and legal preparedness for members of the Armed Forces abroad [Sec. 1229]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Nick LaLota, tasks the Department of Defense and the Department of State to review the legal protections in place for service members deployed to foreign countries with which the United States maintains a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and to review and improve training and education materials for members of the Armed Forces covered by such protections. This follows the tragic, ongoing story of Lt. Ridge Alkonis, who was involved in a fatal car crash in Fujinomiya, Japan, and was sentenced to a three-year prison term despite multiple diagnoses of “acute mountain sickness” which affected Alkonis’s motor abilities.

Improving Civic Education and Service Opportunities

• Troops-to-Teachers Program: expansion; extension [Sec. 574]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Michael Waltz, expands the Troops-to-Teachers program to allow veterans to become instructors and administrators for the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and extends the program from 2025 to 2027. Between Fiscal Years 2014 and 2020, the Government Accountability Office reports that the program registered approximately 50,000 participants.
• Enforcement of program requirements for the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps [Sec. 555]
  This provision, led by Senator Roger Wicker and building upon the work of For Country Caucus member Representative Michael Waltz, allows the Secretary of Defense to place on probation a unit of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps that fails to comply with program requirements to mitigate program deficiencies or to protect the safety of program participants. The Secretary will also submit to Congress a report which includes justification for the reinstatement of any unit suspended or placed on probation.
• Extension of Troops-to-Teachers program to the Jobs Corps [Sec. 573]
  This provision allows for participants in the Troops-to-Teachers program to seek positions the in Jobs Corps, a program administered by the Department of Labor that offers free education and vocational training to over 60,000 young men and women annually.
• Expansion of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps [Sec. 551]
  This provision, led by Senator Roger Wicker, requires the Department of Defense to establish and support not less than 3,400 and not more than 4,000 units of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, an expansion from the existing 3,275 units.
• Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Administrator and Instructor Compensation [Sec. 553]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Michael Waltz, allows the Secretary of a military department to authorize an expansion of the individuals qualified to serve as administrators and instructors in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps but prohibits any reduction in pay of current instructors as a result of the implementation of this provision.
• Report on National Service Information Sharing for Recruitment [House Armed Services Committee, Directive Report Language]
  This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Representative Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Secretary of Defense to work with AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, the Selective Service system, and the Office of Personnel Management to provide a report which would include strategies to share applicant information with other federal agencies when an applicant either chooses not to join or is ineligible to participate and to explore mutually beneficial ways to promote each agency’s service opportunities. This follows With Honor Action’s previous work on the Inspire to Serve Act and broader national service priorities.

With Honor Action’s Top Priorities Included in National Defense Authorization Act

Washington, DC – With Honor Action is proud to announce 63 of our priorities have been included in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This NDAA will be one of the only major bipartisan bills that Congress is likely to pass this year. Culminating in months and in some cases, years of hard work, these bipartisan provisions championed by the bipartisan veterans in Congress that With Honor Action supports, will have a wide-ranging impact on our nation. These critical pieces of legislation strengthen our national security, improve our civic education and service opportunities for young Americans, and improve quality of life and healthcare for our veteran and military families. 

Some of the most noteworthy provisions are summarized below. Please find a list of all 63 laws located on With Honor Action’s website.

National Security:

• Sec. 1536: Authority to conduct pilot program on Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve 
  • This bill establishes Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve pilot program within the Department of Defense (DoD) to recruit civilian personnel to serve in cybersecurity reservist positions to ensure that we have the talent necessary to defeat, deter, or respond to cyber threats. 

• Taiwan Cybersecurity Resiliency Act
  • This bill, led by For Country Caucus founding members Rep. Mike Gallagher and Chrissy Houlahan, directs the Secretary of Defense to seek to engage the Taiwanese government regarding expanded cooperation with respect to military cybersecurity activities.
• Critical Mineral Independence Act
  • This bill, led by For Country Caucus member Rep. Mike Gallagher, tasks the Department of Defense to assess vulnerabilities in its supply chain, identify and recommend changes to acquisition laws, regulations, and policies, and prioritize recommendations to achieve critical mineral supply chain independence.

Military Quality of Life:

• The Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act (HR 2597 / S. 1095; Section 601 in H.R. 2670) 
  • This bill, led by For Country Caucus members Reps. Jeff Jackson and Zach Nunn, extends the same active duty parental leave policy to an estimated more than one million National Guard and Reserve service members by expanding eligibility beyond birthing mothers to include fathers, adoptive parents, and foster parents.
• Including military service in determining family and medical leave eligibility for federal employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
  • This provision, led by For Country Caucus member Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, expands eligibility provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act for federal employees to military service if the individual has completed at least 12 months of honorable service.

Expansion of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps:

• Expansion of the JROTC Program [Sec. 551]
  • This provision, led by Senator Roger Wicker, requires the Department of Defense to establish and support not less than 3,400 and not more than 4,000 units of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, an expansion from the existing 3,275 units.
• Stop Funding JROTC at CCP-Owned Schools Act [Sec. 553]
  • Prohibition of Establishment or Maintenance of a Unit of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at an Education Institution Owned, Operated, or Controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

“The NDAA is the only piece of legislation to consistently pass year after year on a bipartisan basis. This will be the 63rd consecutive year it successfully passes on time,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “We’re proud to be part of this bipartisan effort and our work to further help the military community. These pieces of legislation will go a long way in making sure the US stays ahead of our competitors while helping our service members here at home.”

The bills listed above are just seven of With Honor Action’s 63 accomplishments from this year’s NDAA process. To learn more about With Honor Action priorities included in the annual defense bill, read the list here.

                                                                  ###

With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to service with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at WithHonor.org 

With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.