Today, Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) voted in support of the six remaining Fiscal Year 2024 funding bills to keep the government open, protect workers, invest in our national security, and secure investments for key priorities in South Jersey.

The bipartisan funding agreement secures nearly $300 million for Chinook helicopters, which will be manufactured by South Jersey workers and $7 million to Rowan University to support research and development efforts. The package also provides a 5.2 percent pay raise for our armed forces, secures additional resources to the Department of Homeland Security for border security, and shields against harmful cuts to agencies that protect workers.

“The bipartisan funding agreement passed today represents the good that Congress can do for the American people whenever we put politics aside and focus on what is best for the country,” Rep. Norcross said. “I’m proud to have secured funding for key local priorities that will bring federal dollars back to South Jersey and support good paying jobs, including $10 million for research at Rowan University and nearly $300 million for additional Chinook helicopters to preserve manufacturing jobs throughout our region. These bipartisan funding bills will keep the government funded through the fiscal year while making America safer, strengthening our national defense, ensuring worker protection agencies are adequately funded, and investing in priorities that are essential to South Jersey.”

Key priorities secured through the Department of Defense appropriations bill include:

• $295.8 million to purchase additional CH-47 Chinook helicopters, which will be manufactured by South Jersey workers.

• $675 million to buy additional CMV-22 Osprey cargo variant aircraft for the Navy, which will support jobs in South Jersey.

• $7 million for Rowan University’s research, development, and engineering to enable rapid entry and sustainment in the Arctic and other cold regions being conducted.

• $3.5 million for Rowan University to research new high performance polymer composites.

• $10.0 million for the development of F-16 a data bus cybersecurity system to ensure that Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft, including those of our own New Jersey Air National Guard, have weapons systems not vulnerable to cyberattack.

• $47.5 million to improve Humvee rollover mitigation to avoid preventable accidents.

• $41.8 million to support Project Pele’s research and development of micro nuclear reactors for sustainable and clean energy solutions.

• $5 million to support research and development of advanced process technologies for energetics to ensure that munitions production is efficient, effective, and safe.

The government spending package is expected to be passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Joe Biden. Highlights from the funding package can be found below:

• Provides $824.3 billion to the Department of Defense, an increase of $26.8 billion from last fiscal year.

o Prioritizes support for military families, including increasing pay by 5.2 percent, the Basic Allowance for Housing by 5.4 percent, and the Basic Allowance for Subsistence by 1.7 percent.

o Protects our national security, preserves our domestic advanced manufacturing base to support jobs and grow the economy, and invests in research and development.

• Appropriates $89.8 billion in discretionary resources, $86.4 billion for non-defense programs and $3.3 billion for defense-related program to the Department of Homeland Security make investments in border security, such as increasing funding to support necessary processing capacity, medical care, and child-wellbeing support.

• Provides the Department of Health and Human Services with an increase of $1 billion above 2023 funding levels for Child Care and Head Start to increase access to quality child care for hard working families and invest in the early childhood education workforce.

• Blocked Republican attempts that would have blocked the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from implementing rules to protect the right to organize for collective bargaining purposes.

• Maintains adequate funding levels for the NLRB and other worker focused agencies.

• Increases funding the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, including $4.2 billion to Substance Use Services.

More information on the package can be found here.

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