Alabama congressional representatives today praised a new fiscal year 2024 national defense budget sent to President Biden for his signature that provides money for state military installations and blocks the move of SPACECOM headquarters to Colorado.

“I am proud to announce the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024,” said Alabama U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. “Our country faces more national security threats than ever, and it has never been more important to fund our defense.”

“Huge wins for Alabama,” Rogers summarized.

U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt said divided government meant Republicans did not get everything they wanted. “I am deeply disappointed that Senate Democrats were able to strip out of a House-passed provision that would overturn President Biden’s unconstitutional policy of reimbursing servicemembers’ abortion travel costs,” he said.

However, Aderholt said Republicans “were able to take an axe to the leftist, woke agenda that Democrats have been forcing on our military. We have put a hiring freeze for social justice warriors in the DoD, prohibited the use of federal funds to promote critical race theory, and undone the injustice done to our servicemembers who were wrongfully punished for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.”

“On top of all of that,” Aderholt said, “we’ve continued our support for hypersonics being built right here in the 4th District in Courtland and given a boost to domestic shipyards like the ones in Mobile.”

Rogers said the Biden administration “continues to attempt to use the military as a conduit for leftist political initiative.”

“This bill refocuses our military on lethality, establishes rigorous oversight on Biden’s Department of Defense and cements Alabama’s place as a leader in national security,” Rogers said.

Alabama U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Tuscaloosa), also voted for the defense authorization.

“As a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the representative for critical military installations in Alabama, I take very seriously my responsibility to provide our service members with the tools and support they need to keep our nation safe,” Sewell said. “Though I was profoundly disappointed when extreme Republicans hijacked the previous version of this bill, I am grateful that Democrats successfully stripped out their amendments attacking diversity and reproductive health care. With these provisions removed, I was proud to continue the solemn tradition of supporting the NDAA and our national defense.”

U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville) said the bill “ensures that U.S. military readiness remains at the highest level, combats aggression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), guts the Biden Administration’s woke policies & DEI bureaucracy, and increases oversight of U.S. taxpayer dollars to minimize waste.’

It also “makes significant investments in North Alabama and is yet another example of the importance of the region to U.S. national security,” Strong said.

The budget includes a 5.2 percent pay raise for more than 37,000 servicemembers stationed in Alabama. Other than the pay raises, decisions that directly benefit Alabama include:

• Major improvements at the Anniston Army Depot totaling more than $16 million, including a new component rebuild shop, new access control point and a new vehicle paint shop.
• $7 million for a new barracks at Fort McClellan in Anniston.
• $316 million in military construction projects including $68 million for a ground test facility at Redstone Arsenal, $65 million for military family housing at Maxwell Air Force Base, $57 million for a new Army Reserve Center in Birmingham and $41.2 million for new barracks at Fort Rucker. Stops the Boeing KC-135 refueling plane’s retirement, preserving work at Sumpter Smith Air National Guard Base.
• Authorization of a new grant program for infrastructure improvements at private shipyards requested by Alabama Shipyards.
• $6 billion for Columbia procurement and industrial base improvements benefitting Austal.
• Full funding for all Austal Navy shipbuilding projects.
• Requirement for the Army to implement plans to improve telecommunication infrastructure at all AL National Guard installations.
• $20 million over the budget request for additional Lakota helicopters used for training at Ft. Rucker.
• $65 million for additional MH-139 helicopters for Maxwell Air Force Base.
• More than $120 million for DoD research and development projects throughout AL.

Alabama U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise voted against the bill.