Statement on Signing the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025

President Biden issued this signing statement on December 23, 2024, upon signing H.R. 5009, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (NDAA FY2025). The NDAA is a major annual defense bill that authorizes funding and policy for the U.S. military and national security programs. The signing statement allows the President to express constitutional or policy concerns about specific provisions of the legislation while still enacting it into law. The President's stated concern relates to the discharge of his responsibility to protect national security.

The law affects servicemembers, military families, and the broader defense establishment. Provisions in NDAAs typically address military pay and benefits, force structure, weapons programs, overseas operations, and various quality-of-life improvements for military personnel. The portion of the statement available here indicates the President raised objections to at least some provisions on national security grounds.

Signing statements are a contested tool. Supporters argue they are a legitimate way for the President to flag constitutional concerns about legislation rather than vetoing it outright. Critics, including the American Bar Association, have argued that using signing statements to announce an intent to not enforce specific provisions effectively functions as a line-item veto — a power the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York (1998). The legal weight of any specific signing statement depends on whether the President's stated objection is acted upon and whether courts find the relevant provisions constitutional.

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