U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, joined a bipartisan majority of the House Armed Service Committee to send the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023 to the House floor.
The bill includes provision championed by Rep. Carbajal, which, if passed. will support operations at Vandenberg Space Force Base, and promote the welfare of U.S. service members and military families. The bill also would invest in research partnerships with Central Coast colleges and universities, and ensure the U.S. can protect its citizens and strategic interests at home and around the globe, according to Rep. Carbajal’s office.
“Over my past three terms in Congress, I’ve had the privilege to work every year with my colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee to craft bipartisan legislation that invests in keeping Americans safe today and in the future; and that is what we have done again this year,” Rep. Carbajal said in a news release. “I’m proud that this bill also reflects the values and priorities of the Central Coast, its communities, and its servicemembers.
“It supports our cornerstone installation, Vandenberg Space Force Base, and the military families that call our area home — as well as the research institutions that are innovating to keep the United States on the cutting edge and protecting its interests around the globe,” he said.
Provisions championed by Rep. Carbajal include securing a $7 million increase to the Spacelift Range System, which would improve the infrastructure at space launch ranges including the ones at Vandenberg Space Force Base and language supporting the Range of the Future initiative at Vandenberg.
Additionally, Rep. Carbajal co-sponsored an amendment to the measure that would create a Space National Guard.
The bill includes a $4.6% pay raise for U.S. servicemembers and a bipartisan measure co-led by Reps. Carbajal and Glenn “G.T.” Thompson that would create a new centralized Military Housing Feedback Tool for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families to identify, rate and compare housing.
Furthermore, Rep. Carbajal co-sponsored an amendment that would waive naturalization fees for the immediate relatives of Purple Heart recipients. The amendment is identical to the bill Rep. Carbajal co-led with Rep. Michael Waltz last year: the Sergeant First Class Javier J. Gutierrez Purple Heart Survivor Naturalization Fee Relief Act.
Rep. Carbajal secured increased funding for research programs that are conducted in partnership with UCSB and other universities including: $10 million for silicon-based laser research, $4 million for biotechnology research, and $9 million for cold and complex environment-sensing research.Additionally, Rep. Carbajal supported a $10 million increase for aerospace engineering research, which was done in partnership with Air Force Research Lab and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
The FY23 NDAA also expresses the “Sense of Congress’” that the United States strongly supports membership for Finland and Sweden in NATO, extends the authorization for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visas program, and includes $950 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which provides support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The measure also includes an amendment added by Rep. Carbajal, chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, which allows members of the U.S. Coast Guard to count their service in the reserves towards their retirement.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
