WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) issued the following statement after voting for this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the United States Senate by a vote of 87 to 13.
“I voted for this year’s defense bill for two reasons: because it’s good for Alabama and it’s good for our national security,” said Coach Tuberville. “This bill could have been a lot stronger, but Chuck Schumer rigged the negotiation process to prevent conservatives from getting key wins on issues like taxpayer-funded abortion and DEI. We didn’t get everything we wanted this time, but we got a lot. And my fellow conservatives in Alabama and across America can be sure that I’m determined to get the rest of it in next year’s bill.”
BACKGROUND:
The Constitution prohibits “appropriation of money to raise and support armies for a longer term than two years.” Accordingly, Congress passes a defense authorization bill every year.
This year’s defense bill is 3,000 pages long. Following is a brief breakdown of some of the most important provisions in the bill.
MAKING AMERICA STRONG:
- Gives our troops the largest military pay raise in decades, with a 5.2% pay raise for the over 37,000 servicemembers stationed in Alabama.
- Includes the FINISH IT Act, which halts Joe Biden’s plan to sell off border wall construction materials.
- Includes a provision authored by Coach Tuberville that requires the military to source more critical minerals from the United States—not China. Alabama produces a variety of critical materials, such as graphite and carbon fiber.
- Includes Tuberville-authored provision to increase use of unmanned naval and ground vehicles, which are built in Alabama, ensuring that fewer American lives will be lost in a direct conflict with our adversaries.
- Authorizes six new munitions for multiyear procurement contracts, including Tomahawk Cruise Missiles, Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), MK-48 Torpedoes, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM), Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM), and Small Diameter Bomb IIs (SDB-II).
- Creates Sea-launched nuclear cruise missile program.
- Requires the Department of Defense to pursue a new modern variant of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb.
- Provides aircraft and training for Israeli pilots, including $200 million for missile defense and support for anti-tunnel missions against Hamas.
- Authorizes training for Taiwan’s military and speeds up deliveries of Harpoon missiles to Taiwan.
INVESTING IN ALABAMA:
- Blocks the move of SPACECOM Headquarters from Alabama to Colorado until June 30.
- Makes investments in Alabama’s military bases and defense industry. Through Coach’s efforts on the Senate Armed Services Committee, nearly $2 billion will impact Alabama entities both public and private.
- Over $1.5 billion will support the Missile Defense Agency
- Over $117 million will be directed to the Redstone Arsenal
- Over $68 million will be directed to the Alabama Army National Guard
- Over $65 million will be directed to Maxwell Air Force Base
- Over $41 million will be directed to Fort Novosel
- Over $16 million will be directed to the Anniston Army Depot
- Over $7 million will be directed to the Alabama Air National Guard
- Authorizes $316.6 million in Military Construction Projects, including:
- $68 million for a Ground Test Facility at Redstone
- $65 million for Military Family Housing at Maxwell
- $57 million for a new Army Reserve Center in Birmingham
- $41.2 million for new Barracks at Fort Novosel
- Authorizes over $120 million for DoD research and development projects throughout Alabama.
- Authorizes $6 billion for Columbia procurement and industrial base improvements, benefitting Austal USA.
- Prohibits KC-135 retirement, preserving footprint at Sumpter Smith Air National Guard Base.
- Authorizes a new grant program for infrastructure improvements at private shipyards, such as Alabama Shipyards.
- Requires the Army to implement plans to improve telecommunication infrastructure at National Guard installations.
- Authorizes $20 million over the budget request for additional Lakota helicopters used for training at Ft. Novosel.
- Includes Tuberville-authored provision to remove barriers for employee stock owned-companies (ESOPs) to compete for more defense contracts.
IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY:
- Includes the MERIT Act, which makes it easier to fire bureaucrats who aren’t doing their jobs and creates accountability.
- Freezes DEI hiring until the Government Accountability Office (GAO) delivers a report to Congress on the cost of the DEI workforce.
- Caps the max annual pay for employees whose primary jobs are working on DEI initiatives at $70,000 annually.
- Hires an Inspector General for Ukraine aid to create accountability for US foreign aid.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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