Today, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sending the bill to the President’s desk

The defense policy package includes numerous priorities Senator Reverend Warnock advocated for, including bolstering affordable military housing, raising servicemember pay and securing funding authorizations for several critical Georgia-based programs

The priorities Senator Warnock secured in the NDAA ensure Georgia remains at the cutting edge of our national defense and that the state will play a critical role in America’s military strategic planning in the years to come

A stalwart champion for Georgia’s veterans, military families and servicemembers, Senator Warnock has actively worked in the Senate to strengthen federal support for Georgia’s military communities

Senator Reverend Warnock: “Georgia notched notable wins in this year’s defense package, including bolstering Georgia’s military bases, ensuring our state is a crucial component to our nation’s national defense for years to come and securing more affordable military housing for servicemembers and their families”

Senator Reverend Warnock: “I hear from Georgia’s military families often about how stressful and costly it can be to find adequate base housing or relocate to another base community. So, I’m particularly proud to have secured my provisions that address these issues into the final bill that is now headed for the President’s desk”

Washington D.C. — Today, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 83-11, sending the bill to the President’s desk with numerous priorities secured by U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA). Thanks to Senator Warnock, the NDAA is a remarkable win for Georgia’s servicemembers, military families, and bases. The legislation will bolster affordable military housing, raise servicemember pay and secure funding authorizations for several critical Georgia-based programs.

Senator Warnock prioritized passing the NDAA in a timely manner, as he regularly hears from Georgia’s military leaders that quickly passing an updated NDAA and authorizing the funding is a top priority. The priorities Senator Warnock secured in the NDAA ensure Georgia remains at the cutting edge of our national defense and that the state will play a critical role in America’s military strategic planning in the years to come. Also included in the NDAA was the Water Resource Development Act(WRDA), which included crucial Georgia priorities, such as a new $75 million authorization to support water infrastructure projects in rural and underserved communities throughout Georgia. The legislation, and WRDA, now head to President Biden’s desk, where he is expected to sign it.

“Our servicemembers are the best among us,” said Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock. “I’m so glad we were able to get this year’s NDAA  over the finish line with tremendous bipartisan support.  Georgia notched notable wins in this year’s defense package, including bolstering Georgia’s military bases,  ensuring our state is a crucial component to our nation’s national defense for years to come and securing more affordable military housing for servicemembers and their families.”

“When we invest in our servicemembers and their families, we increase their morale and quality of life while bolstering our national security.  I hear from Georgia’s military families often about how stressful and costly it can be to find adequate base housing or relocate to another base community. So, I’m particularly proud to have secured my provisions that address these issues into the final bill that is now headed for the President’s desk,” concluded Senator Warnock.

A stalwart champion for Georgia’s veterans, military families and servicemembers, Senator Warnock has been active in the Senate, working to strengthen federal support for Georgia’s military communities. Last year, Senator Warnock successfully included a bipartisan provision in the FY22 NDAA to direct the DoD to collect important data related to military spouse employment and the challenges they face.  This year, Senator Warnock helped to pass the PACT Act, the largest expansion of veterans’ health benefits in decades. Additionally, Senator Warnock has introduced legislation to upgrade standards of care in veterans’ homes and fought for legislation to protect benefits for spouses of deceased servicemembers.

See below for a detailed summary of all the Georgia priorities Senator Warnock secured:

Bolster affordable military housing: Senator Warnock secured two of his provisions in the NDAA that will make housing more affordable for military families.

• The Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) Calculation Improvement Act would direct the Department of Defense to examine the current BAH rates’ efficiency and efficacy, determine if BAH should be calculated more often if school districts can be included in BAH calculations, and if there is an algorithm the Department can develop that would be more effective. Given the amount of publicly available data in the rental market, it is far past time for the Department to look at alternative, more responsive, and transparent ways to calculate BAH.
• The Increasing Homeownership for Servicemembers Act would direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study to better understand the barriers to ownership for members of the Armed Forces. With frequent moves and other potential barriers, the opportunity to own a home and build family wealth is out of reach for many servicemembers.  

Ease burden of relocation for military families: Senator Warnock’s bipartisan amendment requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to reexamine the Dislocation Allowance (DLA) calculation and ensure that it is adequate to meet the needs of our servicemen and women. When military families move, they often incur unforeseen expenses.  While military families can receive some financial support through the DoD Dislocation Allowance (DLA), the method for determining DLA has not been adjusted in 20 years and is outdated. The amendment was co-led by Republican Senator John Boozman and supported by the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). Read more about this provision here. 

Raise servicemember pay by 4.6%: Senator Warnock is proud to fight to give servicemembers a much deserved 4.6% pay raise to cover their expenses and provide for their families. While servicemembers are fighting to protect us, they shouldn’t have to be worried about covering basic expenses or taking care of their families. Senator Warnock’s work to support military families builds off victories the Senator secured in last year’s NDAA, including the Senator’s bipartisan amendment to help the DoD address the needs of military spouse employment by directing the Department to collect data on rates of prevalence of military spouse un and underemployment, as well as possible and known inhibitors to spouse employment.

Securing victories for ALL of Georgia’s major military bases: Below are victories the Senator secured in the NDAA. The Senator is especially focused on ensuring funding authorizations for a number of critical Georgia programs, including A-10, HH-60W, C-130Js, AMBS, Columbia Class submarines, and cyber programming.

• Dobbins Air Reserve Base
  • Programmatic funding for the C-130 program, which are stationed at Dobbins.
• Fort Gillem
  • Authorized military construction project provides permanent facilities for the Defense Forensic Science Center’s Forensic Exploitation Directorate.
• Fort Gordon
  • Robust investments in cyber security investments included in the Senate NDAA. Cyber investments hugely benefit Fort Gordon, which has solidified its role as a national leader in cyber technology and innovation.
• Savannah Air Dominance Center
  • Funding for C-130’s which is stationed at the Savannah National Guard at Air Dominance Center.
• Kings Bay Naval Submarine Bay
  • Authorized military construction project to strengthen the power grid surrounding the base.
  • Authorized military construction project to modernize the base’s dock to service the new Columbia-class submarine.
  • Programmatic funding of the Columbia-class submarine, which will likely be stationed at Kings Bay.
• Moody Air Force Base
  • Programmatic funding for A-10 aircraft and HH-60W rescue helicopters.
  • In October 2021, Senator Warnock met with Air Force Secretary Kendall and discussed the future of A-10 Fighter Aircraft at Moody AFB.
  • Additionally, the Senator secured a parking apron for HH-60W at Moody’s through a Congressionally Directed Spending request in last year’s appropriations bill.
• Robins Air Force Base
  • Increase in programmatic funding for Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS).
    • Robins will play a key role in the future of ABMS, one of the four new missions coming to Robins. Senator Warnock secured a commitment from Air Force Secretary Kendall that Robins would play an integral role in maintaining the system.
• Fort Stewart
  • Authorized military construction project to strengthen the power grid surrounding the base.
• Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany
  • Senator Warnock introduced the BAH Calculation Improvement Act to address concerns voiced by the Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany and the Albany community that the Base Allowance for Housing was inaccurate and affected families’ abilities to thrive in the community.
• Fort Benning
  • Senator Warnock introduced the BAH Calculation Improvement Act to address concerns voiced by the Fort Benning and Columbus community that the Base Allowance for Housing was inaccurate and affected families’ abilities to thrive in the community.

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