Baldwin Votes for Annual Defense Bill to Boost American-Made Economy, Support Service Members and Military Families, and Stand Up to China

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) voted for the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. The legislation included several of Senator Baldwin’s priorities, including an amendment to bolster Made in America shipbuilding, stand up to the Chinese government, support Wisconsin military installations, combat the opioid epidemic, invest in mental health for service members and their families, and increase pay for the Armed Services.

“Our service members and their families make sacrifices for our country every day, and we have a responsibility to them to work together and deliver the support they need to keep our country safe and ensure they get the benefits and compensation they deserve. I was proud to work with my Republican and Democratic colleagues to give our service members a well-deserved raise, support our Made in America economy, invest in our Wisconsin military installations, and safeguard our national security against foreign adversaries like China,” said Senator Baldwin. “This bipartisan legislation also includes my amendment to strengthen Made in America requirements for Navy ships that will support Wisconsin’s storied shipbuilding industry, creating jobs for skilled workers and growing an industry vital to our Made in Wisconsin economy.”

The 2024 NDAA that passed the Senate included several of Senator Baldwin’s key priorities for Wisconsin, including:

Bolstering the Made in Wisconsin and Made in America Economies

• Baldwin’s American Made Navy Act – Ensures that by 2033, any new Navy ship purchased uses 100% domestically produced materials, like propulsion systems, shipboard components, couplings, shafts, support bearings, and more.
• Investing in Made in America Economy – Increases Made in America requirements for key components in satellites, streamlines clearance requirements for Made in America small businesses to work with the Department of Defense (DOD).  

Investing in Wisconsin Military Installations, Equipment, and Infrastructure

• Volk Air National Guard Base – Authorizes Air National Guard $670,000 for planning and development for a Fire and Crash Rescue Station to replace the current station that is not large enough to house equipment and personnel.
• Truax Field – Authorizes Air National Guard $5.2 million for Munitions Maintenance and Inspection Facility in Madison.
• New Army National Guard Readiness Center in Viroqua – Authorizes $18.2 million for a new Army National Guard Readiness Center in Viroqua.

Supporting Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families  

• Increasing Pay for Service Members – Supports a 5.2% pay raise for uniformed service members and also includes a 5.2% pay raise for civilian workforces.

• Investing in Mental Health – Waives cost-sharing requirements for the first three outpatient mental health visits each year for beneficiaries in the active-duty family member category and in the TRICARE Young Adult program, and requires DOD to submit reports on access to mental health care in the Armed Forces including barriers that servicemembers face and recommendations to improve resources and access.  

Protecting Americans from Opioids, PFAS, and Toxic Exposure

• Combatting the Opioid Epidemic – Includes the Baldwin co-sponsored FEND OFF Fentanyl Act to impose sanctions on the trafficking of fentanyl and its related chemical sources and opioids by transnational criminal organizations.
• Remediating, Preventing, and Researching PFAS – Directs a report on the proposed schedule and cost estimate for the completion of remediations efforts and extends the authorization and funding for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study on human health impacts due to PFAS in drinking water.
• Mitigating Risk of Toxic Exposures – Directs DOD to submit to Congress a report on incinerators and waste-to-energy disposal alternatives to open burn pits, which have been linked to severe health problems for service members and veterans. Senator Baldwin supported the PACT Act last year, which extended earned health care benefits to veterans impacted by toxic exposure during their service. 

Protect Against Threats Posed by the Chinese Government

• Protecting American Farmland from Foreign Adversaries – Baldwin helped secure a bipartisan provision that will prevent foreign adversaries – China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran – from acquiring American farmland or agribusiness. The amendment enables the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) to review all significant agriculture-related foreign investments using expert data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and it will empower CFIUS to prohibit future purchases of farmland by our foreign adversaries.
• Screening U.S. Investments in China – Baldwin voted to include a provision that screens U.S. investments in national security sectors that are made in countries of concern, including the People’s Republic of China and gives the U.S. visibility into vulnerabilities and risks posed when the Chinese government has access to American technology in national security sectors.
• Authorizes funding for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative: Initiative enhances U.S. deterrence and defense, assures allies and partners, and counters adversary threats in the Indo-Pacific region in response to China’s growing military power.
• Support for Taiwan Military: Establishes a comprehensive training, advising, and institutional capacity-building program for the military forces of Taiwan.

“Passing this legislation is critical to strengthening the fragile domestic shipbuilding suppliers manufacturing industrial base and protecting the American jobs it creates. It is truly a matter of national security,” said Chris Cikanovich, chairman of the board for the American Shipbuilding Suppliers Association.

"Fairbanks Morse Defense is proud of our Wisconsin Senator for continuing to prioritize American jobs and the U.S. defense industrial base. The benefits of this legislation in creating new high-paying jobs in the manufacturing sector, as well as rebuilding the defense industrial base our country needs for national security, will be significant. We're grateful for Senator Baldwin’s strong leadership and her vision for restoring lost American manufacturing jobs and retaining current defense capabilities," said George Whittier, CEO of Fairbanks Morse Defense.

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