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Readiness Chairman Garamendi Votes in Committee to Pass FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act

June 23, 2022

Garamendi Secures Much-Needed Funds for Travis and Beale Air Forces Bases and Other Key Priorities in Defense Authorization Bill

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness, voted to pass the "National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023" (H.R.7900) in the House Armed Services Committee. The annual legislation provides the legal authority for all aspects of the United States military, including all personnel, installations, and equipment used in our national defense. The House Armed Services Committee passed the legislation by a bipartisan vote of 57 to 1 and will be considered on the House floor by late July.

As Chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, Garamendi formally added the Readiness Subcommittee's NDAA provisions to the full legislation at the committee hearing. Garamendi also secured funding in the legislation for several key projects at Travis and Beale Air Force Bases in his Congressional District. Specifically, the legislation includes $7.5 million for a KC-46 Simulator Facility at Travis Air Force Base as well as $33 million for Beale Air Force Base's 940th Air Refueling Wing. Additionally, Garamendi secured $5 million to support bioindustrial research and training at schools and businesses throughout his Congressional District. Garamendi's effort supports the burgeoning Interstate 80 (I-80) bioindustrial manufacturing and research corridor transecting his Congressional District.

"I am pleased the House Armed Services Committees has once again come together to address critical issues facing our service members, military families, and the more than 1,000 military installations worldwide," Garamendi said. "As Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee, I built upon my previous efforts as Chair to require the military to do its part in the fight against the climate crisis. I also worked to improve pay and housing for servicemembers, secured additional funding to support Travis and Beale Air Force Bases in my district, and continued my efforts to aggressively address PFAS contamination around military installations that harm our servicemembers and neighboring communities," Garamendi continued.

"I am pleased that the NDAA for fiscal year 2023 has now passed the House Armed Services Committee, and I look forward to it passing the full House and Senate and becoming law this year," Garamendi concluded.

Specifically, Garamendi helped add the following provisions to this year's NDAA:

Requiring the Military to Address the Climate Crisis:

  • Electric Vehicle (EV) Pilot Program on Bases: Requires the U.S. Department of Defense to carry out a pilot program to facilitate the transition to EVs while mitigating grid stress through the use of microgrids and other infrastructure that mitigates grid stress.
  • Battery Recycling for Military Equipment: Requires the Department of Defense to increase the recycling of advanced batteries and address rare and strategic mineral shortages.
  • Sustainable Aviation Fuel for Military Aircraft: Requires the Department of Defense to create a pilot program to collaborate with civilian airfields on the use of sustainable aviation fuel in military aircraft.
  • Integrated Solar Roofing: Updates the Department of Defense's building code to include integrated solar roofing on new construction at domestic military installations.

Electric Vehicles Charging Stations: From Garamendi and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren's (D-MA) "Military Vehicle Fleet Electrification Act" (H.R.7379), allows commercial charging stations for electric vehicles to be installed at military-run commissary and exchange stores on base.

Improving Service Member Housing, Lodging, and Community Housing Availability:

  • Oversight of Privatized Military Housing: Increases Congressional oversight on the health and status of military housing privatization projects throughout the military.
  • Barracks and Dormitories: Increases housing for servicemembers without spouses or families, including commercially available options.

Environmental Cleanup and PFAS:

  • PFAS Destruction Technologies: Requires the military to remove PFAS contamination throughout military installations by improving waste disposal systems.
  • Firefighter Uniforms: Prohibits the Department of Defense from purchasing firefighter gear, including uniforms called "turnout gear," containing PFAS if acceptable alternatives are available. Authorizes $1 million for the Department of Defense to test and certify equipment.
  • Limits PFAS Use: Further limits the Department of Defense's use of PFAS to only essential uses for which there are no acceptable alternatives available. Also, requires the Department of Defense to minimize the use of non-essential items containing PFAS.

Maintaining Essential Military Equipment and Infrastructure:

  • 30-Year Ship Maintenance Plan: Requires the Navy to plan annual maintenance for Navy vessels 30 years in advance, along with the Navy's current annual 30-year shipbuilding plan. This could help revitalize America's shipyards, like Mare Island in Vallejo, CA.
  • Commercial Shipyards: Requires the Navy to certify additional commercial U.S. shipyards for Navy maintenance, including an assessment of the shipyards that could perform Navy maintenance if certified, like Mare Island in Vallejo, CA.
  • Fighter Readiness: Increases Congressional oversight of fighter aircraft readiness, including shortcomings in maintenance, planned modernization efforts, sustainment best practices, and funding levels for operation and maintenance.
  • F-35 Operational Capabilities: Increases Congressional oversight of the F-35 Program, which has historically seen huge cost overruns and suffered significant maintenance problems endangering the lives of pilots.

Supporting Military Personnel:

  • Base Access: Standardizes military installation access across domestic bases by removing bureaucratic hurdles to civilians getting on base to do their jobs.
  • Protection Against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risks: Increases Congressional oversight of any supply chain disruptions as the Department transitions to newer protective gear for servicemembers that provides chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear protection.

Strengthening Bioindustrial Manufacturing:

  • Facility Development: Allows the Department of Defense to develop bioindustrial manufacturing facilities in partnership with universities and businesses, such as the burgeoning Interstate 80 (I-80) bioindustrial manufacturing and research corridor transecting Garamendi's district.

Limiting Development and Use of Nuclear Weapons:

  • Costs of Maintaining Nuclear Weapons: Requires the Department of Defense to account for the full cost of storing and maintaining nuclear weapons before developing any new nuclear weapons.
  • Restricts Funding for Plutonium Pit: Freezes federal funding forthe military or U.S. Department of Energy to produce plutonium pits for nuclear weapons pending completion of a full accounting of the true costs and environmental impact of plutonium pit production over their expected lifetimes.

Requires Military to Buy American:

  • California-grown Olives: Directs the Department of Defense to buy American-grown olives over imports, when available.
  • Recapitalization of National Defense Reserve Fleet: Applies"Buy American" requirements for vessel components in the new commercially useful cargo vessels to be designed by the Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve Fleet. These same requirements already apply to Navy vessels.
  • Naval Vessel Components: Strengthens "Buy American" requirements for vessel components on Navy vessels.
  • Put Our Neighbors to Work Act: Directs the Department of Defense to publicly post all military construction contracts once awarded, identifying who got the contract, the total dollar amount for the work, the base, and other relevant information. This will increase public transparency over military construction contracts and help make small businesses aware that these business opportunities exist with the Department of Defense. This amendment was from Reps. Garamendi and Andy Kim's (D-NJ) "Put Our Neighbors to Work Act of 2021" (H.R.4321).

Military Support for Fighting Wildfires: Garamendi added the following provisions from his "Military Support for Fighting Wildfires Act" (H.R.5560):

  • National Guard Training: Requires wildfire training for National Guard to be done in consultation with the National Interagency Fire Center, which conducts training for state and local fire departments and federal firefighters with the U.S. Forest Service. This helps provide coordination and cooperation in wildland fire management.
  • Wildfire Reimbursement: Requires the Pentagon to reimburse all state costs for fighting certain wildland fires on U.S. military installations. Right now, the Department of Defense could force states to bear the full cost of fighting fires on base.
  • Budgeting for Extreme Weather: Requires the Department of Defense to budget for wildfire costs and similar extreme weather due to climate change.
  • California FireGuard: Extends the authorization for the Department of Defense's "FireGuard" partnership with the California Air National Guard to respond to wildfires in California and other western states.
  • Firefighter Staffing: Requires all U.S. military installations to have minimum firefighter staffing that meets minimum national safety standards for local fire departments. This amendment was from Reps. Garamendi and Mary Gay Scanlon's (D-PA) "Federal Firefighters Workforce Support Act" (H.R.7898).

Supporting Same-Sex Servicemembers: Allows LGBTQ servicemembers who are injured on active duty and become infertile to use military insurance coverage (TRICARE) options for surrogacy currently available to heterosexual couples in the military. Garamendi cosponsored Rep. Sara Jacobs' (D-CA) amendment adopted today.

Wildlife Trafficking: Supports the U.S. military's partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to counter transnational wildlife trafficking in Sub-Saharan Africa, cutting off a funding source for militant and terrorist groups like Al-Shabaab or the Lord's Resistance Army.

Space Guard: Provides Congressional authorization to establish new Space National Guard units in states like California. Garamendi cosponsored Rep. Jason Crow's (D-CO) "Space National Guard Establishment Act" (H.R.5112) adopted as an amendment today.