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

Statement

Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) through the House of Representatives. Congressman Kim worked to secure critical wins for New Jersey that will help create jobs, honor our service members and increase readiness for the next generation of national security threats.

"This is a bill that makes our country safer, our communities stronger, and honors the incredible men and women who serve our country every day," said Congressman Kim. "I'm especially proud to be able to deliver so many of these wins in a bipartisan fashion. From protecting our families against foreign-sponsored cyberattacks to giving the members of the National Guard the hazard pay they deserve, these aren't Democratic or Republican priorities, they're American priorities, and I'm thankful to my colleagues for working alongside me to move them forward."

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

3 percent increase in military pay for all military service members.
Creates a $1 billion Pandemic Preparedness and Resilience National Security Fund to help prepare for future deadly pandemics.
The bipartisan HACT Act, which would help U.S. citizens fight back against foreign-sponsored cyber security attacks.
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.

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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