CONGRESSWOMAN SYLVIA GARCIA VOTES TO ADVANCE ANNUAL DEFENSE BILL TO THE PRESIDENT BIDEN’S DESK

Washington, D.C. –Congresswoman Sylvia voted to pass H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, which continues to invest in the core of our national defense: service members, civilian workers, and their families; allies and partners; innovation and technology; our domestic industrial base; and military readiness.

“Democrats fought for and secured investments in the core strength of our national defense: service members, civilian workers, and their families: allies and partners; innovation and technology; our domestic industrial base; and military readiness,” said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. “I look forward to President Biden signing this monumental bill into a law.”

Key wins in theNDAA include:

Invests in service members, the civilian workforce, and military families by:

• Supporting the 5.2% pay raise proposed in the President’s budget request.
• Expanding eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance (program that provides funds for food, housing, etc. for lowest paid.

• Making significant investments in military family housing, child development
• centers, and replacing failing unaccompanied housing (barracks);
• Improving FMLA eligibility for federal employees.

Reaffirms our commitment to partners and allies by:

• Enabling key pillars of AUKUS
• Reauthorizing the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI)
• Fully resourcing the European Deterrence Initiative and Pacific Deterrence

• Initiative

Authorizes a record-high investment of $150 million for HBCUs.

$650 million worth of investments in energy resilience and energy conservation projects.

Increases oversight of equipment provided to foreign countries by requiring GAO to give reports on monitoring equipment use.

NDAA, or H.R. 2670, is an annual piece of legislation that sets the country's defense spending budget for the following year. It authorizes investments for the Department of Defense and defense activities in other federal agencies and departments.

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional District. She is the Vice Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, the Vice Chair on Housing and Transportation of the House Democratic Caucus Poverty Task Force, and a member of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government