Rep. Mike Levin Secures $105 Million for Camp Pendleton and Other Local Wins in Bipartisan NDAA

Washington, D.C. – Today, the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2021 passed the House of Representatives with $105 million in federal funding for military construction projects at Camp Pendleton and other key local wins that U.S. Rep. Mike Levin fought to secure. In addition to the funding for Camp Pendleton, the bill includes Rep. Levin’s amendments to strengthen the Transition Assistance Program for servicemembers returning to civilian life, expand protections for troops under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, and add $5 million to the Naval University Research Initiative, which works with universities like UC San Diego on defense research. He also cosponsored an amendment to expand eligibility for HUD-VA Supportive Housing (VASH) voucher program, and he strongly supported a provision authorizing a three percent pay raise for America’s troops.

Among the local wins in the bill, it authorizes $68,530,000 in military construction funding for the 1st MARDIV Operations Complex, and $37,000,000 for the I MEF Consolidated Information Center at Camp Pendleton. It also authorizes $50 million for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP), funding that the City of Oceanside is currently pursuing for local infrastructure projects. The NDAA also authorizes $40 million to assist local educational agencies with military dependent students, which could go to schools on Camp Pendleton like Mary Fay Elementary and San Onofre Elementary.
 “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.

A summary of the NDAA is available here.