Cunningham Votes to Strengthen National Security and Raise Military Pay

Press Release

Today, Rep. Joe Cunningham (SC-01) voted to pass H.R. 2500, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020. The NDAA sets policy and authorizes funding for the U.S. military, includes the largest military pay raise in a decade, and gets rid of the Widow's Tax, as well as several other important Lowcountry priorities.

Cunningham authored and successfully passed several amendments to the NDAA that fulfill important Lowcountry priorities, including:

The complete text of his bill, the Defense Access Roads Enhancement Act, which will allow military installations to address rising sea levels and recurrent flooding by giving them access to funds to construct, replace, and maintain access roads;
Authorizing the creation of a Coast Guard Junior ROTC program at Lucy Beckham High School in Mt. Pleasant;
Expanding eligibility to the My Career Advancement Account Scholarship Program, which provides military spouses pursuing a degree or certification up to $4,000 of financial assistance, to spouses of servicemembers in the Coast Guard and enlisted servicemembers of all grades;
Allowing the Department of Defense to give preference to contractors that employ veterans, rewarding companies that hire veterans and incentivizing companies to do the same;
Gathering the data necessary to ensure the proper maintenance of F-35s aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
"I am proud to have voted to pass the NDAA today. Lowcountry military installations like Parris Island, Joint Base Charleston, and the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort are essential to our country's national defense. It's our responsibility to make sure they have the tools and resources to keep us safe, and we did that today," said Rep. Joe Cunningham.

"Lowcountry servicemembers and their families have sacrificed so much for us, and we must set them up for success on and off the battlefield. This bipartisan bill delivers the largest military pay raise in over a decade. I'm also proud this bill includes five of my amendments, which will reward companies that hire veterans and grant Coast Guard families equal access to DoD scholarship and career advancement programs. As NDAA moves to conference, I will make sure these vital provisions are maintained."

Some of the key national security and defense priorities in the bill include:

Giving our servicemembers a 3.1 percent pay raise, the largest in a decade;
Getting rid of the Widow's tax, which unfairly targets the surviving family members of service members who pass away during active duty or retirees who die of a service-connected cause;
Numerous provisions to take care of military families, improve military housing and clean up contaminated drinking water at military bases;
Requiring DOD to develop installation plans that assess current climate vulnerabilities and plan for mitigating the risks;
Requiring DOD to report on the progress toward meeting the goal of 25 percent renewable energy for military facilities by 2025;
Requiring DOD briefings to Congress on Russian election interference and requires DOD to issue a strategy on countering Russian election interference in the 2020 elections;
Requiring DoD to amend the building standards for military construction to ensure that building practices and standards promote energy, climate, and cyber resilience at military installations;
Prohibiting the use of DOD funding toward military force with Iran without Congressional approval.

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