REP. SUSIE LEE VOTES TO PASS BIPARTISAN ANNUAL DEFENSE BILL SUPPORTING SERVICEMEMBERS AND AMERICA'S NATIONAL SECURITY

Press Release

Today, Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03) voted to pass H.R. 7900, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), which will strengthen U.S. national security by supporting the development of new technologies, improving coordination with America's global network of allies and partners, standing up for our country's democratic values, and providing for servicemembers and their families, who form the foundation for America's defense.

"An investment in our servicemembers is an investment in the safety and security of all Americans," said Rep. Susie Lee. "Today, Democrats and Republicans came together to pass legislation that supports our servicemembers and strengthens our national security. This legislation does so much to improve quality of life for our troops, including a 4.6 percent pay raise, and additional bonuses for those making less than $45,000 who are struggling with rising costs. I'm so proud that this legislation includes two of my amendments. The first one addresses the shortage of affordable housing for our troops by directing the Secretary of Defense to assess ways to improve housing options for junior members of the military. My second amendment will help save lives by directing the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on suicide prevention efforts across federal agencies, helping us to better fight the epidemic of servicemember and veteran suicide in this country."

Two amendments proposed by Rep. Lee were passed as part of the bill. The first, Lee Amendment 228, addresses the shortage of affordable housing for our troops by directing the Secretary of Defense to assess ways to improve housing options for junior members of the military. This legislation will help to address the heavy impact of Nevada's housing crisis on our servicemembers, like those serving at Creech and Nellis Airforce Bases. The second, Lee Amendment 229, directs the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on suicide prevention efforts across federal agencies and to improve sharing of best practices to better support those at risk, in Nevada and across the country.

The House version of FY23 NDAA includes a range of key national security priorities, including:

Vital benefits for servicemembers and their families, including a 4.6% pay raise for service members and civilian personnel, 2.4% cost-of-living bonuses for service members earning less than $45,000/year and a $15/hour minimum wage for workers on federal service and construction contracts.
Support for military families' quality of life, including efforts to improve the child care available to servicemembers, support for military spouse employment, and direction towards a more transparent, fair, and flexible way to calculate the basic allowance for housing.
New investments in science and technology competitiveness, including $275 million in additional funding for next-generation capabilities in hypersonics, electronic warfare, directed energy, artificial intelligence, and software.
Supply chain security, including an assessment of fuel distribution in the Indo-Pacific, efforts to prevent the Chinese Communist Party from exploiting certain technologies, and improved DoD risk management with regards to pharmaceutical products.
Resources for U.S. allies and partners, including $1 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and funding for the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) and Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI).
Civilian harm mitigation measures, including the establishment of a Commission on Civilian Harm and a Center for Excellence in Civilian Harm Mitigation at the Department of Defense.
Support for HBCUs and other minority serving institutions, allocating over $111 million for research activities at HBCUS and establishing a pilot program to increase research capacity at minority serving institutions.

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