Brett Guthrie U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 2nd district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Brett Guthrie U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 2nd district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Congressman Brett Guthrie of Kentucky has announced his support for the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was passed recently. The legislation includes funding for a program initiated by Guthrie in 2020, known as the Rip-and-Replace Program.
Guthrie stated, "Last night, I voted for the FY2025 NDAA which will not only ensure our nation remains a military superpower, but also improves the quality of life of our servicemembers by including a significant pay raise for those who do so much to protect us each and every day." He highlighted that the bill provides a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and a 4.5% increase for all other servicemembers. Additionally, it ensures that cost-of-living calculations account for inflation.
The FY2025 NDAA emphasizes improving servicemember quality of life and strengthening national security. Key provisions include developing public-private partnerships to lease new barracks and housing, increasing access to childcare by eliminating waitlists for fee assistance programs, providing direct access to specialty medical providers without Tricare referrals, supporting military spouses with career services, and authorizing a new entrepreneurship training program for retiring servicemembers.
The bill also allocates $15.6 billion to the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to enhance U.S. defense posture in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Rip-and-Replace Program was authorized under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act in 2020. It aims to prevent Chinese telecommunication companies from entering U.S. networks due to national security concerns. The program addresses a $3 billion shortfall needed to replace suspect equipment in network infrastructure across rural areas in the United States.
Guthrie explained that this initiative helps small telecommunication providers replace Chinese spyware from their networks, thus protecting American data and critical infrastructure from foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party.
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