Congressman Kim Votes to Pass National Defense Authorization Act Through Committee, Delivers Wins for New Jersey

Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2021 through the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman Kim worked to secure critical wins for New Jersey through the committee process that would help create jobs, honor our service members and increase readiness for the next generation of national security threats. The bill passed through committee with a full bipartisan vote of 56-0.

"The last place partisan politics belongs is in national security, and I'm proud to have delivered significant wins for our military and New Jersey in a truly bipartisan way," said Congressman Kim. "From delivering a pay raise for our troops, to making sure jobs and funding come home to New Jersey, we did this the right way -- by putting aside partisanship and putting our national security and our troops and their families first."

The NDAA for Fiscal Year 2021 as passed through the House Armed Services Committee contains provisions authored and championed by Congressman Kim including:

3 percent increase in military pay for all military service members.
Incentives to increase local hiring for military construction programs that would put New Jersey building trades members to work on projects at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and other military construction sites.
Providing members of the National Guard and Reserve equal hazard pay to their Active Duty counterparts. This would provide critical pay to members of the National Guard who are engaged in COVID-19 mitigation efforts.
Help expedite the phasing out of PFAS chemicals through coordinating an effort for public-private partnerships, allowing DoD to work alongside industry experts and research groups to develop and secure a safer alternative foam that will help to protect the health of our servicemembers, their families and surrounding communities.
Ensure mission readiness is upheld by the continued use of the KC-10 at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst until the KC-46 is delivered to the Joint Base.
Increased funding for the GenCyber program from $5 million to $20 million to ensure a strong, diverse and educated pipeline for cybersecurity talent in the United States who can address next-generation cybersecurity threats.
Last year during the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2020, Congressman Kim was named as a conferee to the bicameral conference committee and worked to deliver successes on:

3.1 percent increase in military pay for all military service members.
Funding for new jobs in Burlington County through a next-generation naval defense project.
Directing the Department of Defense to phase out dangerous PFAS chemicals that impact military community groundwater.
Increased access to job training programs and doubled funding for military spouse relicensing fees.
Directing the Department of Defense to conduct "Black-Start" exercises on joint military installations like Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Providing 12 weeks in paid family leave for federal employees.
Phasing out and eliminating the Widow's Tax.

Congressman Kim is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he serves the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and as a Member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Prior to serving in Congress, Congressman Kim served in Afghanistan as Strategic Advisor to Generals David Petraeus and John Allen. Kim went on to serve as Director of Iraq in Obama's National Security Council where he coordinated the crisis response to countering the rise of ISIS.

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