Wilson on Committee Passage of FY23 NDAA

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Joe Wilson, Senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement after the House Armed Services Committee completed the markup of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023:

"This year's National Defense Authorization Act is a statement of unwavering support for America's men and women in uniform. This bill pushes our military modernization further toward meeting our ongoing challenges, while mitigating the disaster of President Biden's unprecedented inflation. Our nation's military will improve its readiness to ‘fight tonight' against enemies that seek to destroy our democracy, bolstering the proven national security strategy of Peace Through Strength.

"As a veteran and father with four sons who have served in this nation's military, I am deeply committed to ensuring the Department of Defense has every available resource to deter our adversaries, support our allies, strengthen our communities, and, if necessary, fight and win against hostile aggressors."

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FY23 NDAA

Supporting our Military Families

"I am focused on ensuring our servicemembers and their families continue to receive the benefits they deserve. Like all Americans, military families are struggling with the high costs of President Biden's inflation crisis. This NDAA directs a 4.6 percent increase in military basic pay and boosts housing allowance rates for all servicemembers. Additionally, the bill includes a 2.4 percent inflationary bonus for junior enlisted personnel to help meet basic needs and an extension of special pay bonuses for service members in high demand fields."

Mitigating the Effects of President Biden's Inflation on the Military

"The President's budget request to Congress was effectively a national defense cut because it failed to keep pace with soaring inflation. I worked tirelessly with members on both sides of the aisle to authorize a defense budget that meets commanders' unfunded priorities, while providing much-needed relief from high prices and out-of-control rent. That is why I supported increased investment in our military readiness by ensuring growth of nearly five percent above the rate of inflation."

Congressman Wilson cosponsored a bipartisan amendment to address the White House's inadequate top-line budget. The amendment strengthens deterrence by including provisions on the military services' unfunded priority lists.

Continuing our Nuclear Triad Modernization

"This year's NDAA builds upon the two-site solution for nuclear pit production by including full funding for ongoing operations at the Savannah River Site. It also establishes a framework to manufacture 80 war reserve plutonium pits with requirements for 30 pits at Los Alamos and 50 pits at the Savannah River Site. This is the best way to manage the cost, schedule, and risk of such an important undertaking. As with every weapon, we must continue to invest in upgrades and improvements to our nuclear inventory."

Improving Education Opportunities for Military Families

The FY23 NDAA includes the Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission (MIC3) Improvement Act, which Congressman Wilson introduced earlier this year.

"I am grateful that my bill, the MIC3 Improvement Act, was included in this year's NDAA to support families and their educational needs. Military children face unique challenges due to frequent moves and deserve the opportunity to have continuity of education like all Americans."

The MIC3 Improvement Act will direct the Department of Defense to work with states on improving existing programs that assist military families with educational tasks and associated decisions during military moves. These changes will ensure military children receive seamless educational opportunities when transferring between states.

Advocating for Military Dependents with Special Needs

The FY23 NDAA includes the Providing Expanded Representation FOR Military Families with Special Needs (PERFORMS) Act, which Congressman Wilson introduced earlier this year.

"This legislation provides improved representation for special needs family members with the inclusion of a much broader mixture of military population segments, while also adding the Defense Health Agency as a stakeholder. These refinements to the Exceptional Family Member Program will ensure that military families with special needs have a voice in communicating their challenges to the Department of Defense."

The PERFORMS Act will improve the efficacy and transparency of the Department of Defense's (DoD) Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) by expanding the advisory board and requiring publication of its proceedings. It was drafted in response to hearing from EFMP families and reviewing data collected on the program including reports from the Government Accountability Office.

Countering Corruption with the ENABLERS Act

The FY23 NDAA includes the Establishing New Authorities for Business Laundering and Enabling Risks to Security (ENABLERS) Act, which Congressman Wilson co-leads and included in the NDAA as an amendment.

"This anti-corruption legislation brings us one step closer to stopping the influx of blood money into our democracy. Corruption costs taxpayers money, and basic due diligence requirements will put a stop to the undermining of democracies by dictators, terrorist groups, and others hoping to hide their money and break the law."

The ENABLERS Act will close loopholes that crooks and kleptocrats from around the world use to launder money in the United States. As highlighted in the Pandora Papers and reports on Putin's cronies, dictators, criminals, and terrorists continue to make the United States a destination of choice for hiding dirty money. Because our laws require banks to report suspicious transactions, corrupt actors increasingly rely on other financial advisors, or "enablers," not obligated to conduct such due diligence, including trust companies, law and accounting firms, to help them shelter their assets and disguise the true owners of those assets.

Strengthening South Carolina's Military Bases

"I am dedicated to preserving and reinforcing the military installations across South Carolina. I was grateful to include language in the NDAA that authorizes the transfer of unused land from Joint Base Charleston (JBC) to the City of North Charleston. This mutually beneficial change will reduce the JBC maintenance requirement while opening the area to economic development. This NDAA also further supports Shaw Air Force Base by including $10 million of funding to implement a Radar Approach Control System (RAPCON) facility that will improve air traffic control capability."

South Carolina has over five military installations that fulfill both active-duty and National Guard training exercises. The economic impact of South Carolina's military presence generates over $25 billion annually and supports almost 200,000 jobs for the state.

Supporting the Communities of the Savannah River Site

"As the only Member of Congress to have worked at the Savannah River Site, I understand how important the Savannah River Site is to both our state and nation. This bill includes full funding for Payments in Lieu of Taxes for the counties of Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale."

The Savannah River Site covers over 310 square miles and spans three counties. Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PiLT) funding goes to these counties to support schools, emergency services, and county operations that would have otherwise received taxes through development on that property.

Promoting Defense Research Projects at South Carolina Universities

"This NDAA provided continuing authorizations for defense research projects at numerous South Carolina colleges and universities. I was grateful to champion the important work being performed at Clemson University, Benedict College, and the University of South Carolina. These world-class institutions are actively engaged in technological research on projects such as autonomous logistics, artificial intelligence, naval power and energy systems, and hypersonics that directly benefit Department of Defense programs and enhance national security."