Courtney Secures Funding for Increased U.S. Navy Shipbuilding and Submarine Construction in Final FY 2023 Omnibus

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), Chairman of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, voted to pass the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2617) a bipartisan spending bill that will fund the federal government through September 30, 2023. The bill was passed in the House by a vote of 225-201, and now moves to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

Rep. Courtney is Chairman of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, which oversees all U.S. Navy shipbuilding and is tasked with ensuring a strong and capable U.S. Navy. On December 8, the House voted to pass the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2023, which the Seapower Subcommittee helped craft and authorizes new forms of support for American servicemembers, as well as continued funding for an increased amount of shipbuilding, submarine procurement and research efforts, continued support for Ukraine, and more. Now, the 2023 Omnibus provides full funding to back Courtney and the Seapower Subcommittee’s top priorities in the 2023 NDAA, delivering on behalf of the U.S. Navy and eastern Connecticut’s manufacturing workforce and supply chain.

“At a time when many people wonder whether Congress can still work together to get big things done for our country, passage of our bipartisan NDAA followed back-to-back by passage of the bipartisan 2023 Omnibus should come as hard evidence that it can,” said Chairman Courtney. “America’s national security priorities around the world have an impact here at home every day—on our democracy, our economy, and our everyday lives. That’s why it was so important to ensure we got the Defense Authorization across the finish line for the 62nd year in a row this year. Our NDAA focused heavily on supplying our Navy and Armed Services with their most important priorities—from increased submarine construction and shipbuilding, to historic new support to strengthen the workforce we need to get it all done, and lots more—and now the 2023 budget backs those authorizations up with full funding. It’s no secret that eastern Connecticut has a huge role to play in accomplishing many of the submarine and defense manufacturing opportunities that are provided in our 2023 budget, and I’m proud that we got it done on a bipartisan basis. This is a great bill for servicemembers and their families, for shipbuilders and our supply chain, and for eastern Connecticut.”

Defense and Submarine Priorities

Submarines and Undersea Capabilities—The 2023 Omnibus provides a total of $14.5 billion for U.S. Navy submarine construction, procurement, and research & development priorities, including: 

• Virginia-class Submarine — $6.5 billion to support the sustained two-per-year build rate of new Virginia-class submarines, with $4.5 billion for two submarines in 2023 and $2 billion in advance procurement to support future construction of submarines in 2024 and 2025.
• Columbia-class Submarine — $3.1 billion in support of the second year of funding for the first Columbia-class submarine, and $2.8 billion in advanced procurement to support construction of follow-on submarines in the program through procurement of long lead materials, reducing risk and sustaining the timely delivery of submarines to the fleet.  
• Component Procurement — $975 million for components critical to new construction and sustainment of submarines, including support equipment, batteries, acoustic systems, communications equipment, and training modules.  
• Submarine Industrial Base and Workforce Development — The bill includes unprecedented investment in the submarine industrial base, including $541 million for submarine supplier development, workforce development, shipyard infrastructure, and strategic outsourcing specifically for the Columbia-class submarine program, and $207 million to support submarine workforce development initiatives.   
• Submarine Research and Development — $1.2 billion in research and development of future submarines, including $316 million for developing capabilities of the next block of Virginia-class submarines, and about $140 million for SSN(X), the planned future follow-on to the Virginia-class program. These efforts are essential to ensuring the health of the design and engineering workforce at Electric Boat.  

The bill also includes other Courtney-led provisions to augment undersea priorities such as:   

• Infrastructure Upgrades at SUBASE New London — fully funds $15.5 million for a military construction project at SUBASE New London, which will relocate the existing underwater electromagnetic measurement system due to planned construction of a floating dry dock at Electric Boat in support of the Columbia-class submarine program. The current system is used to determine if submarines need degaussing or magnetic silencing to protect from undersea mines. 
• Academic Partnerships for Undersea Research —$25 million, an effort driven by the House Armed Services Committee, to support partnerships with academic institutions conducting research on undersea capabilities, such as the National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology, a collaborative program between the University of Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island. 
• Advanced Submarine Control — $8.5 million for a Courtney priority for research and development efforts improving low-speed dynamic maneuverability for the next block of Virginia-class submarines and beyond, like those currently underway at Progeny Systems in Groton.

Additional Eastern Connecticut Defense Priorities

• National Coast Guard Museum — Fully funds the Coast Guard’s request of $20 million supporting continued work on developing exhibits and artifact displays at future National Coast Guard Museum in New London. This funding will be combined with $25 million provided at Courtney’s request to the Coast Guard to date. 
• Defense Impact Aid — Funds $60 million for the DOD supplemental impact aid program, which provides support to local school districts with high proportions of military children, including Groton and Ledyard public schools. This program is in addition to the primary Impact Aid program funded through the Department of Education, which does not fall within the jurisdiction of the House Armed Services Committee. 
• Support for the Connecticut National Guard — Supports an increase of 16 C-130J Super Hercules airlift aircraft to continue modernization of the Air National Guard’s C-130 units and adds $60.7 million for NP2000 propeller modernization upgrades for aircraft that have not been outfitted with new, more powerful propellers. The 130^th Airlift Wing of the Connecticut Air National Guard flies the C-130H, an older model aircraft. 
• F-35 Joint Strike Fighter — Supports procurement of 61 F-35 aircraft, which are supported by Pratt & Whitney, for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. 
• F135 Engine Modernization — Supports an increase of $75 million for F135 engine enhancement and modernization to provide improved thrust and capability needed for future iterations of F-35 aircraft, built at Pratt & Whitney. 
• Blackhawks — Supports an increase of 10 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters over the budget request, bringing the total number authorized to 35 helicopters for the Army National Guard, built at Sikorsky. 
• CH-53K — Supports an increase of 2 CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters, bringing the total to 12 aircraft for the Marine Corps, built at Sikorsky. 
• Combat Rescue Helicopter — Supports an increase of 10 Combat Rescue Helicopters, built at Sikorsky, bringing the total number of aircraft to 20 for the Air Force.

Other Notable Provisions

• Ensuring the Health of Our Veterans — The final agreement includes $5 billion to fully fund implementation of the Honoring Our PACT Act in 2023 in order to address increased demand for health care and benefits, and to accomplish the expedited implementation schedule announced by the Biden Administration.
• A pay raise for servicemembers — Fully funds the 2023 NDAA’s authorization of a 4.6% pay increase for all American military personnel.
• Basic Allowance for Housing — Provides an increase of $1.2 billion for BAH to offset rising living expenses, spread out across the services and their active duty, reserve, and guard components.   
• Basic Allowance for Subsistence — Provides an increase of $328 million for the Basic Allowance for Subsistence, a program designed to pay for the costs of servicemembers meals when dining at their permanent duty station, to offset the higher cost of food prices.
• Basic Needs Allowance — Provides an additional $12.1 million for a BAH supplement to eligible servicemembers with dependents, building on the 2023 NDAA’s increased threshold up to 150% of the federal poverty line.
• Commissaries — Provides an increase of $224 million to fully fund DoD commissaries to help cut the costs of groceries for servicemembers and their families.

Continued Support for Ukraine

On the heels of President Zelenskyy’s address to Congress, the Consolidated Appropriations Act includes $45 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine, as they continue to repel Russia’s unlawful invasion and head into the winter months. Key priorities include: 

• Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative — Provides $9 billion for training, equipment, defense articles, and supplies, which has proved critical to Ukraine’s success. 
• United States European Command — Provides nearly $7 billion for the United States to continue mission support and logistics services in the European Area of Responsibility. 
• Humanitarian Assistance — Provides $2 billion to support humanitarian initiatives for Internally Displaced Persons within Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees.  
• Children and Families — Provides $2 billion for resettlement and other support activities such as emergency housing, job training, and case management for Ukrainian arrivals.  
• Continued Oversight — Provides $19.5 million in funds to the Department of Defense and Department of State to continue oversight of response activities and requires the DOD to report on enhanced end-use monitoring of defense articles sent to Ukraine. Also included is $7.5 million for the Government Accountability Office to conduct oversight on funds obligated in this bill and prior measures.

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