The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the House of Representatives Thursday authorizes hundreds of millions in funding for “Minority Serving Institutions” and finances the freezing of sperm and eggs for some service members.

The nearly $884 billion bill includes over $102 million dollars in funding for “Minority Serving Institutions” and “Historically Black Colleges and Universities” (HBCUs), and establishes a development program that provides eligible service members with a $500 reimbursement for the cryopreservation of sperm and a $10,000 reimbursement for the cryopreservation of eggs.

Section 709 of the NDAA authorizes the creation of a three-year development program to fund the freezing of qualifying service members’ sperm and eggs: “The Secretary of Defense shall carry out a demonstration program to reimburse covered members for expenses incurred in the retrieval, testing, cryopreservation, shipping, and storage of gametes of such covered members in a private storage facility determined appropriate by the Secretary.”

The secretary of defense is also encouraged to “promote the demonstration program to covered members in the course of annual health examinations and pre-deployment screenings,” according to the bill’s text.

Qualification requirements for federal coverage of sperm and egg freezing include receiving hazardous duty pay, receiving approval from the secretary of defense and being geographically separated from a “spouse, domestic partner or dating partner for a period of not less than 180 days.”

My statement on House passage of the FY25 NDAA:

Today’s passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes important wins for our troops and ensures our military has the necessary resources and support to defend our great nation. Our men and women in…

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) December 12, 2024

(Read more from “Massive Defense Bill Creates Sperm Freezing Program, Dumps Millions Into ‘Minority Serving’ Schools” HERE)

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