WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), released the following statement regarding President Trump signing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019 (H.R. 5515) into law. The legislation includes a 2.6 percent pay raise for America’s military men and women—the largest increase in nine years—and other major provisions benefiting Louisiana.
“We are keeping our promise to rebuild our military and support our men and women in uniform,” said Dr. Cassidy. “We were able to give troops a deserved pay increase and secure millions in needed funding to improve our military bases in Louisiana. I thank the president and the rest of the Louisiana congressional delegation for making this a priority.”
Major priorities secured by Senator Cassidy benefiting Louisiana include:
Barksdale Air Force Base
- $12.25 million to construct an entrance road and gate complex. These infrastructure improvements support the 2nd Bomb Wing nuclear mission by facilitating the transport of nuclear weapons anticipated to be stored at Barksdale in the near future.
- $295 million to update the B-52 bombers housed at Barksdale to extend the useful life of the long-range heavy bombers beyond the year 2050. Aircraft updates will include new engines, radars, communication technology, weapons bays and GPS interfaces.
Belle Chasse Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans
- $39 million for U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) to construct new alert facilities. This will improve defense and response efforts in the Gulf Coast region.
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