Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, supported passage of H.R.6395, the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021 in the House of Representatives. The legislation, which includes a number of Trahan’s priorities, was voted out of the House with overwhelming bipartisan support.
“Our servicemembers sacrifice so much each day in defense of our great nation. I’m proud that this bipartisan legislation honors their service by delivering for them just as they deliver for our country every day,” Congresswoman Trahan said. “I’m particularly pleased that this year’s National Defense Authorization Act includes a number of our priorities that will prove key to reducing servicemember suicide rates, treating troops who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, and supporting research institutions and small businesses across Massachusetts.”
The FY 2021 NDAA included provisions that Trahan successfully advocated for as a member of the House Armed Services Committee to:
- Combat the spike in servicemember suicides. Inclusion of the Comprehensive Review of Military Suicide Act, a bill introduced by Trahan will require the Secretary of Defense to establish a multidisciplinary review board for obtaining necessary data to improve the military’s ability to prevent future servicemember suicides;
- Treat traumatic brain injury (TBI). Supported by Home Base, this amendment authorizes the Department of Defense to establish a pilot treatment program for servicemembers who continue to be affected by TBI or other associated health factors that influence long-term brain health and performance;
- Address dangerous PFAS chemicals. Provision continues to provide federal support for efforts to clean up per- and polyfluorinated compound-contaminated sites on military installations;
- Support UMass Lowell research to protect troops. Increases funding by $5 million for the Harnessing Emerging Research Opportunities to Empower Soldiers (HEROES) program, a unique collaborative research and development center between UMass Lowell and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center that encourages and facilitates interdisciplinary technological advancements for improved survivability and sustainability of American troops;
- Protect taxpayer dollars. Requires the U.S. Government Accountability Office to provide a report on how the Air Force uses the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program funding. This will ensure the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars by tracking performance metrics on new acquisition approaches and set the Air Force on a path to harness innovation opportunities and lessons learned from program integration.
- Report on Russian and Chinese election interference. Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide the interim reports on Russian and Chinese influence operations that were directed by FY20 NDAA; which the Administration has yet to provide. This provision requires a briefing on international election interference efforts, influence operations and campaigns targeting democratic elections.
In addition to the inclusion of Trahan’s priorities, the FY 2021 NDAA also:
Supports Servicemembers:
- Authorizes a 3 percent raise for members of the military;
- Strengthens programs to ensure that servicemembers and their families have access to quality housing;
- Mandates a briefing from the branches on their compliance with improvements made to the Special Victims’ Counsel Program to address sexual assault in the military as laid out in the FY 2020 NDAA so that Congress can take necessary additional steps, including the possible need for additional staff;
- Requires the Secretary of Defense to produce regulations for a “safe-to-report” policy that will allow alleged victims of sexual assault who may have committed minor collateral misconduct to report their assault without fear of discipline within reason; and
- Includes a requirement that the Secretary of Defense also develop, implement, and maintain a standard of coordinated care for members of the military who are survivors of sexual trauma.
Strengthens COVID-19 Response:
- Establishes a Pandemic Preparedness and Resilience National Security Fund, which directs $1 billion to proactively strengthen America’s ability to prepare for and respond to future pandemics;
- Requires Department Secretaries and Agency heads to create a repository of federally approved plans and specifications for critical medical items that could help manufacturers rapidly produce those items in response to a national emergency or public health crisis;
- Mandates the creation of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, who will be responsible for overseeing the development and maintenance of the defense industrial base and ensuring that there is a secure supply of materials critical to national security, including personal protective equipment and N-95 masks;
- Creates the Small Business Industrial Base Resiliency Program to financially support small businesses who are vital to the nation’s ability to respond to a public health crisis or national emergency; and
- Restores $135 million in funding for the Department of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program and requires an increased emphasis on cooperative biological engagement to detect and confront biological threats to the United States.
Creates a More Inclusive Military:
- Requires the Department of Defense to identify and change the names of all military bases and infrastructure named for individuals who served in the Confederacy and codifies the prohibition of the public display of the Confederate flag on military installations;
- Establishes a Chief Diversity Officer within the Department of Defense that reports directly to the Secretary and establishes the same position within each branch of the Armed Forces;
- Mandates the creation of a Diversity and Inclusion Council to develop a strategy to make the military more representative of the U.S. population;
- Facilitates the retention and promotion of top military talent, prioritizing increased diversity at senior ranks; and
- Adds a Violent Extremism punitive article to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, meaning that individuals will be punished subject to the Code if they knowingly commit a covered offense, including murder, manslaughter, and assault, with the intent to intimidate or coerce an individual or group of people because of their race, religion, color, ethnicity, sex, age, disability status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Promotes American Values:
- Prohibits the use of funds appropriated to the Department of Defense from being used to support the Saudi-led coalition strikes in Yemen;
- Prevents the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Germany;
- Accelerates the closure of Guantanamo Bay;
- Recommends funding increases for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation;
- Creates a new “National Academies Climate Security Roundtable” within the National Academies of Science to establish best practices for identifying and disseminating climate indicators and warnings to ensure that environmental security is included in operational planning and intelligence analysis; and
- Supports funding for research that advances long-range forecasting of seasonal and subseasonal weather patterns, which would provide national security officials with advanced warning of potentially destabilizing events and allow time to adequately plan mitigation measures.
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