President Joe Biden signed the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (FY23 NDAA) into law on Friday, following its passage by both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
“Today, I have signed into law H.R. 7776, the “James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023” (the “Act”),” President Biden said in a statement. “The Act authorizes fiscal year appropriations for the Department of Defense, for Department of Energy national security programs, and for the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, and the Intelligence Community. The Act provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our country’s national defense, foreign affairs, and homeland security.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville voted in favor of the NDAA.
“The importance of passing a strong NDAA cannot be overstated,” said Sen. Tuberville. “To maintain our role as the world’s leading superpower, we must also maintain the world’s most modern, prepared, and lethal military. Bolstering our force and military capabilities ensures we are ready to defeat any enemy at any time. I am proud of my work on the Senate Armed Services Committee to draft legislation that gives the military the tools it needs to keep our country safe.”
There are many provisions in the FY23 NDAA that Tuberville supported that directly impact Alabama.
“Alabama has been at the forefront of America’s national defense network for decades,” Tuberville said. “More than 50,000 Alabamian service members and Department of Defense civilian officials work around the clock to defend the United States. The FY23 NDAA expands resources for our state to continue that work and provides for crucial updates and additions to America’s military.”
This year’s NDAA includes many significant funding authorizations for Alabama’s military bases and defense installations. As a Senate Armed Services Committee member, Senator Tuberville ensured Alabama’s defense priorities were included in the legislation.
The 2023 NDAA included a controversial provision that overrides Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s directive that all members of the U.S. armed forces, including members of the National Guard and reserves, get the COVID-19 vaccine; however, the act stopped short of requiring that the armed forces have to reinstate service members who were discharged due to their refusal to obey the command to get the vaccine.
The NDAA passed Congress with bipartisan support. The military and defense industries play a major role in the Alabama economy. All of the items in the FY2023 NDAA were fully funded in the FY2023 omnibus spending bill that also passed the U.S. Congress before the Christmas holiday.
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