“I am proud that the National Defense Authorization Act authorizes more than $105 million for military construction projects at Camp Pendleton and includes several key amendments I made to support military families,” said Rep. Levin. “One of my top priorities is advocating for the Marines and Sailors at Camp Pendleton, and this funding will help ensure that they have the infrastructure they need to prepare for any mission. In addition to my amendments that will strengthen transition services and civil protections for servicemembers, I am proud to support a three percent pay raise for our troops, funding for Impact Aid schools like those on Camp Pendleton, and new measures to address PFAS chemical contamination. This strong bipartisan bill includes a number of provisions that strengthen our national security, honor our values, and support military families, and I look forward to sending it to the President’s desk.”
In addition to the funding for Camp Pendleton and Rep. Levin’s amendments, the NDAA also:
- Creates a $1 billion Pandemic Preparedness and Resilience National Security Fund, which will direct funding to prepare for future pandemics.
- Authorizes increased funding to clean up contamination of drinking water on military bases by PFAS chemicals.
- Improves sexual assault prevention and response programs.
- Invests in improving the oversight and management of housing for military families.
- Expands eligibility for HUD-VA Supportive Housing (VASH) voucher program to allow veterans with other-than-honorable discharges to access supportive housing vouchers.
- Develops programs to promote diversity programs in the military.
- Establishes a 5-year pilot program to issue maternity uniforms to pregnant servicemembers.
- Begins the process of changing the names of military bases and other infrastructure named after individuals who served in the Confederacy.
- Combats the climate crisis by funding research that advances long-range forecasting of seasonal and sub-seasonal weather patterns, which would provide national security officials with advanced warning of potentially destabilizing events and allow time to adequately plan mitigation measures.
- Directs the creation of a “National Academies Climate Security Roundtable” to assist the Climate Security Advisory Counsel in fulfilling its responsibilities to address the climate crisis.