Rep. Courtney Votes to Send Annual Defense Bill to President Biden’s Desk
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Joe Courtney voted to pass the final FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and send the bill to the President’s desk for the 63rd consecutive year. The bill passed 310 to 118.
As Ranking Member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee and a member of the Conference Committee that negotiated the final bill, Rep. Courtney secured new forms of support for American servicemembers and their families, authorized a record level of funding for shipbuilding and submarine procurement, and cleared the pathway to execute the AUKUS mission.
“The passage of the negotiated FY24 NDAA is the result of a careful, months-long assessment of our national security needs and the increasingly challenging global security environment. Democrats and Republicans worked together to build on the President’s budget request and advance a bill which delivers results for America’s servicemembers,” Courtney said. “As Ranking Member on the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, I helped secure historic investments in shipbuilding and the submarine industrial base. This funding is critical to meeting Navy fleet requirements and clearing the pathway to fulfilling the trilateral AUKUS agreement. At a time when division and partisanship continue to be the prevailing narratives around Congress, the NDAA is proof that bipartisan compromise is the only viable path forward.
“For eastern Connecticut, the FY24 NDAA bill will help maintain our region’s role as the submarine capitol of the world and strengthen the nationwide submarine industrial base. It authorizes full funding for both the Virginia-class and Columbia-class programs – and provides the Navy with the authority to exceed the two-per-year build rate for Virginia-class submarines. That’s coupled with continued, steady investments in submarine suppliers, shipyard infrastructure, and workforce development initiatives,” Courtney continued.
“The inclusion of the historic AUKUS provisions in the NDAA will rebalance deterrence in the Indo-Pacific in favor of free, democratic nations that today are being pressurized by the aggressive actions of the world’s biggest Navy, namely the Chinese PLAN. The intent of AUKUS is to guarantee the peace and freedom of navigation that has prevailed in that part of the world for the last 78 years. This year’s NDAA will be long remembered for this effort,” Courtney said of the AUKUS mission.
“While the NDAA makes strong authorizations to ensure our national security, House Republicans are adjourning Congress without allowing a vote on supplemental funding for the tools and equipment Ukraine needs to stop Putin. As I have said before, the consequences of failure in Ukraine would be devastating to all nations. I know from my time on the House Armed Services Committee that anything less than full-throated support for Ukraine plays directly into Putin’s hand. I will continue to do all I can to ensure Ukraine's success, and the defeat of Putin and his regime, in this fight,” Courtney concluded.
To read more about the priorities Rep. Courtney secured to support eastern Connecticut, click here.
To read more about the priorities Rep. Courtney secured to support our seapower capabilities, click here.
To read more about the priorities Rep. Courtney secured to support the AUKUS mission, click here.
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