Congressman Joe Morelle Acts to Support Our Armed Forces and Military Families

Press Release

Today, Congressman Joe Morelle voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 and deliver critical investments in our Armed Forces and their families. Congressman Morelle helped craft this legislation during his service on the House Armed Services Committee.

"This year's NDAA fulfills our nation's responsibility to provide the tools our military needs to address national security threats while modernizing policies to better support the men and women of our Armed Forces," said Congressman Joe Morelle. "I'm proud to have helped create this important legislation to bolster our ability to compete with countries like China, ensure we are prepared to protect global security and peace, and make critical investments in our servicemembers and their families."

The bipartisan NDAA takes steps to support our military and ensure they have the tools and resources necessary to protect American families. Highlights of this year's legislation include:

Investing in Servicemembers:

Strengthens military justice reforms for survivors of sexual assault by placing investigations outside of the immediate chain of command;
Funds a 4.6 percent increase in military basic pay for servicemembers;
Adds funds to allow the Department of Defense (DoD) to increase servicemember housing allowance by 2 percent;
Combats food insecurity among military families by increasing the eligibility threshold for the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) to 150 percent of the federal poverty line;
Bolsters funding to help address the childcare challenges faced by military families.

Strengthening America's global competitiveness with China:

Increases basic research funding by 22.8 percent, strengthening the pipeline of future innovation for the DoD.

Supporting our Allies:

Provides $800 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to give support and assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces;
Allocates more than $11 billion to support the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and over $6 billion to support the European Deterrence Initiative.

Combatting the Climate Crisis:

Requires the transition of non-tactical DoD vehicle fleets to electric or zero-emission vehicles by 2035;
Includes a package of bipartisan provisions to bolster ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes conservation and research;
Decreases America's reliance on Russian energy sources by requiring bases to adopt new energy plans that increase energy resiliency and sustainability.

"Ensuring servicemembers and their families receive the protections and benefits they deserve while enhancing and strengthening our national defense is one of my top priorities in Congress--and I'm proud to have helped deliver on our promise with this year's NDAA," said Congressman Joe Morelle.

Source