Rep. Bera Votes to Increase Pay for Service Members, Strengthen U.S. National Security

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-07) voted to pass the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA, which passed the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support and provides the annual budget for the Department of Defense, includes three key amendments authored by Bera.

"Our service members are among the most hardworking, dedicated, and talented people our country has to offer, and they need our full and unwavering support," said Representative Bera, Chairman of the House of Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation. "I am proud to vote for a pay increase for our brave men and women in uniform, while equipping them with all the necessary tools to do their jobs effectively and safely. This defense authorization bill also strengthens our abilities to confront growing threats facing our nation at home and abroad: improving deterrence against cyberattacks, addressing strategic challenges posed by China, combatting climate change, and reinvigorating our global alliances and partnerships."

The Bera-supported legislation includes several critical provisions, including:

• Providing a 2.7 percent pay increase for U.S. service members;
• Authorizing $500 million for the Department of Defense relocation support to SIVs and at-risk Afghans; and
• Making historic changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice to better combat sexual assault in the military.

The bipartisan defense bill includes multiple Bera-led amendments, including:

• Authorizing U.S. participation in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a public-private partnership developing vaccines for COVID-19 and other highly infectious pathogens (The House passed in July Rep. Bera's Securing America's From Epidemics Act, authorizing U.S. participation in CEPI);
• Supporting Taiwan in responding to military provocations from China by adopting an asymmetric defense strategy; and
• Requiring the Department of State and Department of Defense to report on the utilization of the Synchronized Predeployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT) data base to help expedite Special Immigrant Visa processing for our Afghan partners and allies.

Since arriving in Congress, Representative Bera has been a strong advocatefor our military, service members, and veterans.