WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following statement on the Senate’s passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): 

“I am grateful for the service and sacrifice of our servicemembers, veterans, and their families, and I will always fight to support them in the Senate. This NDAA has provisions I have fought for throughout the past year on behalf of Vermonters—including policies that build on the PACT Act to take care of veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service.” 

“I am in support of a strong defense and recognize we need to find a way to pay for it. I also want Congress to spend in the smartest way possible. Ultimately this NDAA misses the mark. Congress has added and added to what the Pentagon has already asked for. It has more to do with the defense industry than it does with keeping Americans safe. It’s time we work to ensure Vermonters’ tax dollars go to programs that are cutting edge, efficient, and instrumental to America’s national security needs. I’m disappointed that this package also contains several partisan policy riders that are not only anti-LGBTQ but are designed to hurt military families.” 

The Fiscal Year 2025 NDAA included policies championed by Sen. Welch, including provisions to: 

• Enhance Protections for Veterans Exposed to Toxic Substances: The package includes provisions from the Senator’s bipartisan, bicameral bills that would improve, expand, and enhance protections for veterans, complimentary to the Honoring our PACT Act. These provisions would enhance reporting by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on the health impacts of toxic exposure and burn pits. Thes provisions stem from Senator Welch’s efforts on the following legislation: 
• The Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act, which requires the VA to enable updates to the Burn Pit Registry with the cause of death of deceased registrants, either by a designated individual or an immediate family member, enhancing the utility and accuracy of the registry, which tracks health outcomes related to burn pit exposure during military service.  
• The Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry 2.0 Act, which will direct the U.S. Secretary of VA to report to Congress on the status and timeline of when the redesigned Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry 2.0 will be completed.  

• Establish Additional Skill Identifiers (ASIs) for various courses at the Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont:The package includes provisions led by the Senator that will improve the Army’s ability to efficiently attract, track, and retain soldiers with advanced alpine skills. By making these specialized skills more visible and valued, the Army can better recruit and incentivize soldiers to pursue these specialized courses. The system will not only recognize soldiers’ specialized skills but also enhance personnel planning, allowing the Army to more effectively deploy personnel for specialized operations in mountainous or rough terrain environments, and ultimately contributing to a more capable and effective force. 

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