House lawmakers believed it was time the National Defense Authorization Act got a new name, one that reflects the need to dramatically improve the quality of living conditions for U.S. service members.

The annual Pentagon budget blueprint, known for years as the NDAA, is now the “Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025.”

“We did that to underscore the tremendous gains this bill makes toward improving the quality of life for our service members and their families,” Rep. Mike Rogers, Alabama Republican and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday during a mark-up for the legislation.

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“No service member should have to live in squalid conditions (and) no military family should have to rely on food stamps to feed their children,” Mr. Rogers said. “No one serving this country should have to wait weeks to see a doctor or a mental health specialist.”

The $850 billion budget plan for next fiscal year includes a 4.5% pay raise for service members across the board, along with a 19.5% bump for the most junior military personnel. Lawmakers will work through about 700 amendments before the final bill moves forward.

Rep. Adam Smith, Washington Democrat and his party’s senior member on the House Armed Services Committee, said the quality of life issues for the troops may be the most critical element of the annual Pentagon budget.

“The most important part of what we’re doing today is to make sure the men and women who serve in the military and their families have everything they need to best serve this country,” Mr. Smith said. “We have improvements that need to be made (and) I think this bill reflects those improvements.”

Rep. Michael Waltz, Florida Republican, said the living conditions in too many U.S. military barracks were “shocking.” In a sample of 10 bases, investigators found feces and black mold in the quarters of military personnel, said Mr. Waltz, a former Green Beret who served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan.

“That’s simply unacceptable (and) it’s unacceptable that this committee has to step in to push the Pentagon to fix this problem,” he said. “We have to provide safe barracks and housing and put our service members’ welfare first.”

Lawmakers tackled other provisions in the budget plan during Wednesday’s markup.

Rep. Trent Kelly, Mississippi Republican and chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, said the administration’s spending plan misses the mark on the U.S. naval capabilities needed to stay ahead of China.

Mr. Kelly called China a “hostile adversary” that seeks to disrupt global peace and challenge the international order. He said Beijing’s “brazen military expansion and coercive tactics” pose a direct threat to the stability and security of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. He said the U.S. should have the most formidable naval force on the planet.

“Unfortunately, this administration’s proposal sends the wrong message to Beijing by seeking to retire 19 ships, including 10 before the end of their expected service life, and only funds one Virginia-class submarine,” Mr. Kelly said.

“This (White House) proposal is the result of forced trade-offs that undermine our national capability and sends a dangerous signal of weakness to China and to our industry partners,” he said.

Rep. Rob Wittman, Virginia Republican, used Wednesday’s forum to push for creating a “drone corps” as a basic branch of the Army. He said it reflected the strategic and tactical changes occurring in real time on the battlefields in Ukraine.

“The rise of electronic warfare and drone warfare are clear hallmarks of this conflict,” Mr. Wittman said. “It is clear that Army leadership needs better inspiration and a renewal of thoughts as they prepare our Army for the quickly evolving future of conflict.”

Gen. Randy George, Army chief of staff, opposes creating a drone corps, saying the service sees drones as being integrated directly into existing formations rather than as a separate entity.