Solano Sun

WASHINGTON, DC—On June 22, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA08), the top Democrat on the Subcommittee on Readiness, voted to pass the "National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024” 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 58 to 1 and the legislation will now be considered by the full U.S. House of Representatives in the coming months.

As the top Democrat on the Subcommittee on Readiness, Garamendi added key provisions to the annual legislation to support Mare Island and Travis Air Force Base, combat the climate crisis, crack down on corporate price gouging, and more.

“I am pleased that the House Armed Services Committee 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 the top Democrat on the Readiness Subcommittee, I built upon my previous efforts to require the military to do its part in tackling the climate crisis. I also worked to crack down on giant defense contractors who are price gouging American taxpayers, provide new resources to help California fight wildfires, and create new good-paying union jobs in our community.

“No legislation of this scope is perfect, and this year’s NDAA under the new House Republican Majority is no exception. But I am pleased to have worked in a bipartisan manner to ensure that this must-pass legislation addresses the critical issues for our military families and national security interests. Now that the House Armed Services Committee passed this legislation with strong bipartisan support, I will work to ensure it passes Congress and is signed into law by President Biden,” Garamendi concluded.

Garamendi secured the following provisions as part of the FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act as passed by the House Armed Services Committee:

• Supporting Mare Island
  • Garamendi added a provision that authorizes the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study on dredging Mare Island Straight in front of finger piers 2 and 3 to a depth of 30 feet to restore the usability of the piers for commercial shipbuilding in the future. Garamendi has championed the revitalization of Mare Island during his time in Congress, including his successful advocacy to secure a $13 million investment into the shipyard.
  • Garamendi added an additional provision inspired by his “Federal Ship Financing Improvement Act,” which will provide new federal loans and loan guarantees for repairs and retrofits of U.S.-flag civilian vessels in domestic commercial shipyards, like Mare Island Dry Dock.
• Combatting Price Gouging
  • Includes provisions inspired by the “Stop Price Gouging the Military Act,” championed by Garamendi in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in the U.S. Senate. Numerous Inspectors General reports have found defense contractors regularly charge the military excessive prices, including $71 for a pin that should have cost less than a nickel and $80 for a drainpipe segment that should have cost $1.41. The Garamendi/Warren legislation helps close the loopholes giant defense contractors are utilizing to price gouge the Pentagon and American taxpayers.
• Firefighting Support
  • Includes key provisions from Garamendi’s “Military Support for Fighting Wildfires Act” to provide new resources to help states like California fight wildfires, supporting the California Air National Guard’s disaster response work.
• Tackling the Climate Crisis
  • The U.S. military is the largest institutional consumer of oil in the world, and Garamendi’s efforts will successfully convert the military from an instigator in the climate crisis into a key ally to combat climate change.
• Improving Base Access at Travis Air Force Base & Creating Local Jobs
  • Includes portions of Garamendi’s “Base Access Privileges Improvement Act,” to make improvements relating to civilian access to U.S. military installations. This helps workers, veterans, and others who need to get on base for their jobs, livelihood, or medical care get on base in military communities like Travis Air Force Base in Solano County.
  • Also includes provisions from the “Put Our Neighbors to Work Act,” which Garamendi introduced with Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) to increase Congressional oversight and support local businesses at multibillion-dollar military construction jobsites.
  • These provisions will help create new good-paying union construction jobs at Travis Air Force Base in Garamendi’s district and military construction projects throughout the nation.
• Rebuilding the U.S.-Flag International Fleet
  • Includes key elements of Garamendi’s "Rebuilding the United States-Flag International Fleet Act," which would strengthen federal cargo preference laws to reverse the continued decline of U.S.-flagged commercial vessels delivering cargo to foreign ports. The number of ocean-going U.S.-flagged vessels has declined more than 75 percent since 1985, following the 1982 treaty, known as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Garamendi’s legislation would help address this issue.
• Modernizing the Military’s List of Medically Disqualifying Conditions
  • Garamendi added a provision to the NDAA that directs the DOD to update the list of medically disqualifying conditions for military service to ensure enlistees are not needlessly disqualified from serving or continuing to serve in the military. The current list of medically disqualifying conditions was designed when female enlistees were far less common, therefore many female enlistees are unnecessarily disqualified from enlisting due to normal conditions of their gender.

Original source can be found here