Summary of the Republican Version of the Fiscal Year Department of Defense Appropriations Bill

Key Chapter Title List

1. Military Personnel Related Appropriations
2. Operation and Maintenance Related Appropriations
3. Procurement Related Appropriations
4. Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Related Appropriations
5. Revolving and Management Funds Related Appropriations
6. Provisions Related to Support for Israel
7. Other Department of Defense Programs Related Appropriations
8. Oversight, Reform, and General Provisions
9. Prohibitions on the Use of Funds
10. Additional Restrictive Provisions
11. Provisions Related to Rescissions of Prior Year Funds

Document Introduction

This report is a core summary of the U.S. Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Republican Version), compiled by Democratic members of the House Appropriations Committee. It systematically presents the bill's budget allocations, policy directions, and controversial content. The total appropriation of the bill reaches $833 billion, which is $150 million more than the Biden administration's request and a 1% ($8.6 billion) increase over the FY 2024 appropriation. It also continues several controversial provisions from the FY 2024 House proposal that were ultimately rejected by the bipartisan-supported final defense appropriations bill.

Regarding budget allocation, the bill provides clear planning for core areas such as military personnel, operation and maintenance, procurement, and research and development. Specifically, military personnel appropriations amount to $183.7 billion, an increase of $7.5 billion over FY 2024, supporting the maintenance of active duty and reserve force levels at authorized levels and implementing a 4.5% pay raise along with additional pay increases for junior enlisted personnel. Research, Development, Test and Evaluation appropriations total $146 billion, an increase of $2.9 billion over the government's request, with a focus on supporting basic and applied scientific research and the development of new technology and equipment to ensure the U.S. military's capability to address future security challenges.

In the realm of international security cooperation, the bill exhibits a significantly differentiated direction: it fully provides $500 million to support cooperative procurement projects related to Israeli defense systems such as "Iron Dome" and "David's Sling," removes executive branch oversight authority over U.S.-Israel weapons transfers, and requires the delivery of withheld defense articles within 15 days. Simultaneously, it explicitly cancels the $300 million appropriation for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, excluding related funding support. Furthermore, the bill makes corresponding budgetary arrangements for regional security cooperation projects and counter-terrorism operations in areas such as Jordan and Iraq.

The bill contains numerous provisions that have sparked widespread controversy, spanning multiple dimensions including domestic democracy, social issues, and climate policy. Among them, provisions prohibiting travel for military personnel for reproductive health care, cutting key civilian positions, restricting rights related to the LGBTQ+ community, and prohibiting funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) related work are criticized for undermining military morale and readiness. Additionally, the bill fails to invest in critical climate change adaptation projects necessary for protecting military installations and includes multiple additional provisions restricting vaccine mandates, prohibiting gender-affirming care, and limiting remote work, further intensifying the bill's contentious nature.

These provisions, together with the budget allocations, constitute the core characteristics of this bill. Its eventual implementation will have multifaceted impacts on U.S. defense capability building, domestic social policies, and the landscape of international security cooperation, also reflecting the profound divisions within the United States on defense policy and social issues.