Baton Rouge Reporter

U.S. Congressman Garret Graves of South Louisiana released a statement following the passage of H.R. 8070 – the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“The NDAA is a must-pass piece of legislation in Congress for a reason, as it ensures that our military is well-funded, well-equipped, and prepared to face the evolving challenges of our time. This bill makes important investments in the most important part of our defense – our military men and women. It also makes strategic investments in our innovation, the depth, and strength of our nation’s defense,” said Congressman Graves. “We were once again able to secure language recognizing the service of the veterans of Operation End Sweep, as well as an authorization to improve bilateral cooperation around illegal fishing practices. I am proud of the passage of this bill – it is essential to maintaining our nation’s defense capabilities and upholding our commitments to those who serve.”

Graves secured several provisions in the FY2025 NDAA:

- Eligibility for Operation End Sweep Veterans for the Vietnam Service Medal, acknowledging their dangerous but necessary work cleaning up mines after the Vietnam War.

- Authorization for the Department of Defense to train other nations’ security forces to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Countries such as China and Russia are identified as significant IUU violators affecting American fishing communities while using these fleets for economic efforts, intelligence collection, and military purposes.