Senator Baldwin Votes to Strengthen National Security, Support Service Members, and Stand Up to China

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, which passed the Senate 87-13. The annual defense bill includes a pay increase for service members, key investments for Wisconsin military installations, protections against our adversaries, and updates to strengthen Buy America policies for defense spending.

“At a time when tensions are rising globally, Democrats and Republicans came together to make a down payment on our national security: supporting our service members, standing up against our adversaries, and making important investments in our Made in America supply chains. This bipartisan legislation delivers a well-deserved pay raise for our military and their families and additional resources so our service members can get the housing and healthcare they deserve,” said Senator Baldwin. “I was also proud this legislation included a provision that strengthens our Made in America economy – better ensuring taxpayer dollars used for our nation’s defense support American workers and businesses, while housing more critical supply chains in America.”

Investing in Made in America – NDAA includes an amendment that would increase domestic content percentages for major defense acquisition programs from 55% to 75% by January 1, 2029. Senator Baldwin supported this measure in the Senate version of NDAA and pushed to include strong Buy America provisions in the final legislation passed today.

Supporting Service Members

• Pay Increase for Service Members: The bill authorizes a 5.2% pay increase, the largest raise for service members in 20 years.
• Affordable Housing: It also modifies the calculation for the basic allowance for housing rates for junior enlisted members living in areas with limited housing inventory, a change that would support junior service members stationed at locations such as Fort McCoy and some Coast Guard locations.
• Parental Leave: Expands parental leave for certain members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces.

Investing in Military Infrastructure

• Wisconsin’s Military Installations: The legislation includes $18.2 million for an Army National Guard Readiness Center in Viroqua and $5.2 million for an Air Force National Guard F-35 maintenance facility at Truax Airfield.
• PFAS Remediation: Senator Baldwin has been working to ensure Wisconsin military installations have the resources they need to remediate PFAS. The 2024 NDAA requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the pace, thoroughness, and cost-effectiveness of the Defense Department’s PFAS remediation efforts.

Standing up to Adversaries

• Barring Logistics Systems from China: Prevents the Department of Defense and its contractors from using logistics systems owned or operated by the People’s Republic of China.
• Barring Aerial Systems from China: Prevents, except in certain circumstances, Executive Branch agencies from purchasing or operating unmanned aerial systems manufactured in the People’s Republic of China.

Additional details on the bill can be found here.

An online version of this release is available here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.