Signed defense bill spares F-15E Strike Eagles, saves 520 jobs

Pay raises, improved access to child care, and more than one-quarter of a billion dollars in projects helping the readiness of American troops stationed in North Carolina were signed into law Monday night by President Joe Biden.

The $895.2 billion Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, as House Resolution 5009 is formally known, pushes back the retirement of the F-15E Strike Eagles at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Job savings and direct economic benefit to Wayne County is 520 jobs.

The Senate last week favored the bill 85-14 and the House of Representatives a week earlier sent it forward 281-140. Three of the nays were North Carolina Democratic Reps. Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams.

For the measure from North Carolina were Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd; Democratic Reps. Don Davis, Kathy Manning, Wiley Nickel and Jeff Jackson; and Republican Reps. Dr. Greg Murphy, Virginia Foxx, David Rouzer, Dan Bishop, Richard Hudson, Patrick McHenry and Chuck Edwards.

Hudson is the representative of the world's largest military base, the Army's Fort Liberty that was previously known as Fort Bragg and touches six counties in the Sandhills. Seymour Johnson is in Davis' district.

Junior enlisted servicemembers are slated for a 14.5% pay raise; it's 4.5% for all other servicemembers. Access to child care for the 63,700 children of North Carolina military families is also part of the bill.

The Air Force was going to take away 26 of the aircraft next year from the 335th Fighter Squadron.

Eight military construction projects in North Carolina are authorized, spending $296 million.

The defense spending plan authorizes supporting $41 million to construct a Combat Arms Training & Maintenance Complex at Seymour Johnson, famed home to the 4th Fighter Wing.

At Marine Corps Air Base Cherry Point, the bill authorizes $53.52 million for an aircraft maintenance hangar, $50 million for the F-35 Sustainment Center, and $20.02 million for the composite repair facility.

The bill provides $47 million in military construction projects at Fort Liberty, including a Special Operations Forces Arms Room Addition and Special Operations Forces Operations Facilities. It also prevents cuts to the Special Operations Forces troops. The base is home to the 82nd Airborne, Special Operations Forces, and known colloquially as the place getting "the 911 call" of presidents.

At MCAS Camp Lejeune, there is authorization of $57 million for the Special Operations Forces Information Maneuver Facility, and for $27.5 million for the Special Operations Forces Armory.

There is language included restricting the Pentagon's TRICARE health insurance plan covering costs for gender dysphoria treatments for children of service members under age 18. New Defense Department positions related to diversity, equity and inclusion are also prohibited, according to the bill language.

In Biden’s message on the measure Monday, he objected to the gender dysphoria treatment restriction. He wrote, “No service member should have to decide between their family’s health care access and their call to serve our nation.”