WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today voted in support of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA), bipartisan legislation to support our troops, strengthen the military, and enhance national security. Several provisions Senator Capito supported were included in this legislation and will benefit West Virginia.

Senator Capito issued the below statement after the Senate passed the NDAA by a vote of 86-14.

“Now more than ever, it is essential that we support our military,” Senator Capito said. “We must continue to invest in the future of our military in the United States and make known that their sacrifices do not go unnoticed. For the past 60 years, we have been able to overcome partisan differences and come to an agreement on defense and national security. I was proud to continue this tradition today by voting in favor of this important and essential legislation. The brave men and women of our armed services merit this level of unified support.”

West Virginia impact:

 Within the NDAA, report language crafted by Senator Capito is included to expand domestic resources of Rare Earth Elements essential to advanced manufacturing and military applications, particularly with a focus on extraction from acid mine drainage. West Virginia University (WVU) has been a leader in this research, and this language strongly encourages the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to submit a report to Congress on the domestic supply chain of Rare Earth Elements and how the Department plans on storing these elements as domestic extraction increases.

Additionally, at the request of Senator Capito, the NDAA includes the Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act. This legislation will provide federal coordination of activities supporting sustainable chemistry that will benefit West Virginia businesses by increasing manufacturing capabilities that will create jobs. The USE IT Act, which Senator Capito introduced in 2018 is also included within the NDAA and will reduce regulatory barriers facing the construction of carbon dioxide pipelines. This is critical to supporting carbon capture, utilization, and storage deployment, while also enhancing oil recovery in West Virginia. This will also benefit West Virginia’s coal and natural gas industries while reducing emissions. An additional component of the NDAA is the reauthorization of the bipartisan Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) through language cosponsored by Senator Capito. This will extend one of the most cost-effective federal clean air programs, providing equal support between both large, metropolitan centers and less populated, rural areas.

The NDAA also includes the Mothers of Military Service Leave (MOMS Leave) Act, a priority of Senator Capito’s throughout the negotiation process. This will ensure that members of the National Guard are compensated and receive retirement credits for missing drill weekends due to maternity leave. This will greatly benefit expecting mothers who are serving within the National Guard.  

Prior to passing the legislation, Senator Capito delivered remarks on the Senate floor where she highlighted the numerous bipartisan objectives laid out in the NDAA and also urged her colleagues to support the measure as soon as possible. Click here to watch the speech.

Additional NDAA highlights include:

 

  • Provides for our national defense by authorizing $740.5 billion in funding.

 

  • Supports our troops by providing 3 percent pay raise, ensures previous reforms to the privatized military housing program, improving access to and quality of health care, and increasing employment opportunities for military spouses.

 

  • Advances U.S. security by countering competition from near-peer adversaries like Russia, investing in the equipment and weapons platforms that secure our military supremacy across all domains, and creating a whole-of-government response to spectrum management.

 

  • Builds a more efficient, effective Pentagon by improving how the Pentagon manages its budget, providing the Pentagon with flexibility to recruit and hire top talent in key fields, and strengthening oversight and acquisition management.

 

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