On Dec.11, the House of Representatives passed the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with a vote of 281-140. This authorization included several noteworthy wins for Southern Baptists and is expected to achieve final passage in the Senate and be signed into law by President Biden next week.

What is the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act?

Each year, Congress must pass the NDAA, which authorizes the Department of Defense to operate and to utilize its budget. This bill typically influences policies such as the operations of military bases, the procurement of weapons and training requirements for the members of the military. But it also touches on areas of importance to Southern Baptists such as life and gender. 

The two versions of the NDAA resulting from the House and Senate typically vary on how federal funding can be used. As a result, Congress undergoes negotiations to agree on a compromise bill that can pass both chambers. This provides a unique opportunity for advocacy groups, such as the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), to voice concerns or support for provisions to be included in the final NDAA.

Why is the NDAA important to Southern Baptists?

Through the NDAA, Congress authorizes approximately $886 billion in taxpayer funds. In addition, the NDAA helps set what Congress views as legitimate uses of federal funding.

Without proper language included in the NDAA, taxpayer dollars could be used to fund harmful activities Southern Baptists fundamentally oppose.

One top issue of concern to Southern Baptists is the use of federal funding for abortion. The Department of Defense (DOD) under the Biden administration has been utilizing federal funding to transport women who serve in the armed forces from military bases located within states that limit or ban abortion for the sole purpose of obtaining an abortion. 

This policy is part of an initiative from the White House to prevent state-abortion restrictions from taking effect whenever possible following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision and to circumvent the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funding for abortion.

Another top concern is the use of federal funding to cover “gender transition” procedures and medications, such as puberty blockers.The DOD spends roughly $136 billion annually on healthcare for employees and military personnel, and under the current leadership, the DOD is extending such coverage to include surgical procedures and prescriptions for “gender transitioning.” 

Furthermore, recent statistical estimates from the DOD show that approximately 562 children received “gender transition” prescriptions and counsel from January 2023 to March 2024 under this program, totaling approximately $1.1 million in misused taxpayer funding.

What has the ERLC done to represent Southern Baptists in the NDAA?

In August, the ERLC sent a letter to negotiators advocating for four main Southern Baptist values in the NDAA. These are as follows:

• Supporting pro-life and conscience protections, including ceasing to fund abortion-related lodging and travel
• Not including an expansion of taxpayer-funded, unregulated assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) including in vitro fertilization (IVF)
• Ceasing government funding for “gender transitions” under the TRICARE insurance program
• Opposing the inclusion of women in the draft

In addition to this letter, ERLC staff have conducted numerous meetings and briefings with members of Congress and their staff to educate them on these areas of concern and encourage them to include helpful policy changes in the final package. 

The ERLC was pleased to see several of these areas of concern in the final compromise bill. These advocacy wins include:

• No taxpayer-funded expansion of ARTs. The original version of both the House and Senate bills included an unprecedented expansion of taxpayer-funded ARTs including IVF for servicemembers and their dependents, without any pro-life guardrails or limitations on who could use such services. This language was removed in the final version.
• Prohibiting taxpayer-funded “gender transitions” for children. This is the first time federal law has limited taxpayer-funded “gender transitions” in any capacity.
• Retaining existing selective service policies, which do not require women to register for the draft. You can read more about our opposition to forcing women to register for the draft here.

Why does NDAA advocacy matter to Southern Baptists?

As stated in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Southern Baptists believe that God has ordained government for the purpose of executing justice, praising that which is good, and punishing those who do evil. Any federal funding of abortion or gender-transition services cultivates injustice by violating our consciences as taxpayers and by causing irreversible bodily harm to our neighbors.

Southern Baptists have historically supported these measures through the passage of our annual resolutions such as the:

• 2024 resolution On the Ethical Realities of Reproductive Technologies and the Dignity of the Human Embryo
• 2023 resolution On Opposing “Gender Transitions”
• 2022 resolution On Anticipation of a Historic Moment in the Pro-life Movement
• 2019 resolution On Expanding the Selective Service to Include Women

The ERLC is encouraged by these wins in the final version of the NDAA, and continues to advocate for language explicitly prohibiting abortion-related travel and lodging to be included in future years. The entity invites Southern Baptists to pray for godly wisdom for national leaders, for the safety of service members and for helpful pro-life and anti-”gender transition” policies to continue to be implemented.