CA Wildfire Funding, Transgender Care At Stake In Military Budget

CALIFORNIA — America's $895 billion U.S. military spending bill has now passed both chambers of Congress. The Senate polling featured a split vote from the California delegation, with a "yes" from Sen. Alex Padilla and a "no" from Sen. Adam Schiff, the first split decision since Schiff was sworn into office following certification of the November election.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate voted 85-14 to pass its version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In the House, the bill passed 281-140, with 200 Republicans and 81 Democrats voting in favor, and 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans opposed. The bill now heads to the desk of President Joe Biden.

Congress rolls out a new NDAA bill each year to establish defense priorities, make organizational shifts to military posture, and provide direction on how military funding can be spent. The legislation typically sees several changes and amendments before the Senate and House of Representatives agree upon a final version. Separate appropriations bills with matching dollar figures must also be passed for the increases to become a reality.

The House and Senate have greenlighted the bill every year for more than six consecutive decades.

California's Padilla lauded a rider in this year's budget to fight wildfires, saying in a statement, "The amendment will give DoD the authority to enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with other government agencies or outside entities to support and sustain the FireGuard program. In conjunction with the National Guard, civilian-led efforts that deploy low earth orbit satellite constellations could provide additional quality data to improve FireGuard.

“As the West suffers from increasingly severe and frequent wildfires, we need to advance our commitment to protecting our communities and environment,” said Sen. Padilla. “The FireGuard program is a crucial tool for using military satellites to combat wildfires, but we need every partner we can to maintain and build upon the program. The amendment I secured will allow the Department of Defense to better collaborate with other government agencies and cutting-edge civilian-led initiatives to strengthen our federal wildfire response.”

Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24) offered the same amendment in the House of Representatives.

Other amendments were not so readily accepted. Since it is considered a “must-pass” bill, the NDAA has become a popular venue to attach riders and amendments, not all of which are directly related to national defense.

This year’s bill included particularly controversial language that restricts “gender-affirming” medical care for transgender children of military members. The rider has seen vocal pushback from many Democratic lawmakers.

California's Carbajal issued a statement explaining his "Yes" vote, saying that while he was "vehemently opposed to the provision" and "frustrated at its inclusion at this late hour after months of negotiations," he could not in good conscience vote against the bill. "This is a disappointing, bad faith attempt to divide Congress while working on an issue that should be as nonpartisan as possible: supporting those who defend our nation with their service and their lives."

Some say that a well-funded NDAA strengthens national security, supports service members and creates jobs. But critics question whether the nation’s rising military budget is a good use of taxpayer money at a time when every penny counts.

Among other expenses, this year’s bill authorizes $850 billion for the base Pentagon budget and another $33.5 billion for nuclear weapons programs under the Energy Department.

The bill includes a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5 increase for other military members. It authorizes $143.8 billion in research, development, test, and evaluation to meet “immediate and projected force protection challenges,” $17.5 billion for science and technology programs, $33.5 billion in shipbuilding funding and for the procurement of seven battle force ships.

The bill also includes several provisions aimed at improving the U.S. military’s response to potential drone threats at its installations.

Read the joint explanatory statement for the 2025 NDAA here.