WASHINGTON—U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) today voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024. This bill funds defense and related programs and is one of the largest pieces of legislation that Congress passes each year. This version of the bill includes a 5.2% pay raise for servicemembers and supports for Ukraine and other international allies, as well as investments in military family housing, child development centers, and basic needs for those servicemembers and families who need support.
“To meet the defense challenges of tomorrow, we must invest in the people, programs, and technologies protecting America and our allies today,” said Pettersen, Vice Ranking Member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions. “This bipartisan bill will allow us to better support the brave servicemembers and their families who selflessly risk everything to protect us, with provisions to expand access to housing and child care. Meeting the basic needs of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and guardians is essential for our military readiness and the security of our nation.”
This year’s NDAA includes provisions to:
Invest in service members, the civilian workforce, and military families by:
Supporting the 5.2% pay raise proposed in the President’s budget request
Expanding eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance, a key program that provides funds for food, housing, etc. for military families experiencing financial hardship
Making significant investments in military family housing, child development centers, and replacing failing unaccompanied housing (barracks)
Improving family leave eligibility for civilian employees
Reaffirms our commitment to partners and allies by:
Enabling key pillars of AUKUS, the critical security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States that shores up information sharing and the integration of security and defense-related science, technology, industrial bases, and supply chains
Reauthorizing the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI)
Fully resourcing the European Deterrence Initiative and Pacific Deterrence Initiatives
Authorizes a record high investment of $150 million for Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Provides $650 million worth of investments in energy resilience and energy conservation projects
Increases oversight of equipment provided to foreign countries by requiring the GAO to provide reports on how equipment use is monitored
Increases oversight of ex-gratia payments, the authority that requires the U.S. to make payments for damage, personal injury, or death to a civilian that is inadvertently caused by the U.S. or a coalition or military organization supporting the U.S.
