Today, U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01), chair of the Tactical Air and Land Forces (TAL) Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), voted to pass H.R. 7900, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), which will strengthen U.S. national security by investing in U.S. warfighters and the equipment they rely on, increasing supporting domestic manufacturing capabilities and our national industrial base supply chain, and the American workers who form the foundation for America’s defense.

“Today’s House passage of the NDAA proves our commitment to securing America’s defense by supporting the hardworking military families and workers who serve and protect our nation,” said Congressman Norcross. “This year’s defense bill includes bold initiatives to expand the talent pipeline and support capable and skilled military and civilian workers. My ‘Buy American’ provision will ensure we maintain the capacity to produce critical defense materials here at home and are shielded from disruptions to the global supply chain. I am glad to report that my amendment to secure a $15 hourly minimum wage for federal contractors passed with this bill, securing a fair salary floor for hundreds of thousands of American workers.”

Congressman Norcross continued: “The NDAA includes key provisions to improve the safety of our military vehicles, promotes access to mental health benefits for our military families, and deepens our alliances and partnerships during a critical period for democracies around the world. Keeping Americans safe and strengthening our national security continues to be one of my highest priorities.”

The annual defense bill touches all aspects of the Department of Defense, from equipment modernization efforts that ensure the U.S. Armed Forces can meet future threats to wages for construction workers and teachers working on U.S. military bases.

“Supporting the U.S. military goes beyond equipping and training the world’s finest warfighters,” added Congressman Norcross. “We need to support other Defense Department personnel as well. That’s why I’m leading the charge to guarantee workers on U.S. military bases at home and overseas know their rights to organize and bargain collectively. Equipping our warfighters, making sure we can secure our defense supply chain and industrial base – these things are critical for the U.S. to win the future fight.”

Congressman Norcross takes seriously his responsibility to ensure members of the U.S. military are supplied with the equipment and training they need to dominate the battlefield. His track record of standing up for the women and men in uniform includes a provision in the FY23 NDAA that addresses adequate mental health support services through TRICARE and a provision that supplies $193 million to address safety issues in Humvees that had led to a recent string of deadly accidents.

FY23 NDAA includes provisions that benefit South Jersey by:

• Improving “Buy American” standards to ensure the Defense Department is investing American tax dollars back into American businesses and workers, bolstering the defense industrial base and workforce.
• Requiring the Department of Defense to consider the sustainment of domestic shipyards when structuring new shipbuilding acquisition programs, including the Philly Shipyard which employs many residents of New Jersey’s 1^st Congressional District.
• $7.5 million for research and engineering to enable rapid entry and sustainment in the Arctic and other cold regions being conducted at universities including Rowan University.
• $5 million for the research and development of recyclable concrete that has zero carbon emissions being conducted at universities including Rutgers University.
• $2.8 billion for the KC-46A Pegasus air tanker program, which will benefit the refueling mission at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
• Funding for additional V-22 Ospreys, which will enhance national security while providing stability and predictability to many workers in New Jersey’s 1^st Congressional District who play a critical role in our national industrial base.
• Directing the Department of Defense to provide a status update on its efforts to reduce the risk posed by forever chemicals/PFAS to servicemembers and defense workers.

The House’s version of FY23 NDAA also includes a range of key national security priorities for House Democrats:

• Vital benefits for service members and their families, including a 4.6% pay raise for service members and civilian personnel, 2.4% inflation bonuses for service members earning less than $45,000/year, and a $15/hour minimum wage for workers on federal service and construction contracts.
• New investments in science and technology competitiveness, including $275 million in additional funding for next-generation capabilities in hypersonics, electronic warfare, directed energy, artificial intelligence, and software.
• Supply chain security, including an assessment of dual-use technology that the Chinese Communist Party might exploit and improve risk management in DoD supply chains involving pharmaceutical products.
• Resources for U.S. allies and partners, including $1 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and funding for the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) and Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI).

A summary of the provisions in the FY23 NDAA is available here.