Just in the nick of time before a new Congress could delay passage, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is now sent to President Joe Biden’s desk. Georgia is strongly represented in the national defense bill and the impact of military-related spending in the state is enormous. The state received nearly $16 billion in defense spending in fiscal year 2020, representing 2.5 percent of state GDP, with more than 100,000 Department of Defense personnel in the state. The Department of Defense also manages nearly 645,000 acres of land in the state.
“Our servicemembers are the best among us,” said U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-GA. “I’m so glad we were able to get this year’s NDAA over the finish line with tremendous bipartisan support. Georgia notched notable wins in this year’s defense package, including bolstering Georgia’s military bases, ensuring our state is a crucial component to our nation’s national defense for years to come and securing more affordable military housing for servicemembers and their families.”
Highlights of the bill include a servicemember pay hike of 4.6 percent, something that will help to counteract the impact of this past year’s inflation.
“Democrats and Republicans came together to ensure the security of our country and the well-being of all Americans,” said Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-D 2). “This bill makes crucial investments in our troops and their families as well as the weapons, research, and equipment that are the backbone of our national defense.”
For Georgia specifically, benefits include the funding of the C-130 program, based out of Dobbins Air Reserve Base, further investments in the cyber security work at Fort Gordon, and also funding for the A-10 aircraft and HH-60W rescue helicopter program at Moody Air Force Base, something Rep. Austin Scott (GA-R 8) has long fought for as spending on the A-10 has been coming up for reconsideration.
“After months of bipartisan debate, conferencing, and committee work, the House has passed the FY23 NDAA. This bill takes necessary action against Chinese and Russian aggression and increases President Biden’s proposed defense budget by $45 billion and will ensure our military is better funded, equipped, trained, and ready to fight in these dangerous times,” Rep. Scott said.
The NDAA is one of those massive bills that ends up with several things tucked into it, including the Eliminate, Neutralize and Disrupt (END) Wildlife Trafficking Act, sponsored by Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-R 1). The Act combats international wildlife trafficking, which threatens the conservation of vulnerable and rare wildlife, security and economic opportunity in at-risk regions. Wildlife trafficking has also been linked to other organized criminal activities, such as narcotics and weapons smuggling, and even human trafficking – thus its relevance to the NDAA.
“From drug deals to human trafficking, the internet is a new front to fight some of the worst crimes we know,” said Carter. “By reauthorizing the END Wildlife Trafficking Act, we will be better positioned to stop these bad actors and combat wildlife trafficking not just in the US, but globally. I’m proud to cosponsor this bill and take a firm step towards ending this heinous crime for good.”
