The House will consider a final version of the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act Wednesday. The deal announced by negotiators in the House and Senate authorizes $735 billion in DOD spending and $8 billion for related programs in other departments.
Here’s how the compromise bill would, if passed, address some key issues, based on a summary and news reports:
- DCIP: The bill authorizes $75 million for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program within the Office of Economic Adjustment. (Read more.)
- Border wall: No additional funding is provided for a border wall, but neither are protections to stop the executive branch transfer of funds from other accounts – including military construction – to pay for border wall construction. (Read more.)
- Space Force: The bill establishes Space Force as the sixth military branch, housed within the Air Force, similar to the Marine Corps’ structure within the Navy.
- PFAS: The deal bans the use of PFAS at installations after 2024 but does not force the Environmental Protection Agency to consider them toxic under Superfund rules. (Read more.)
- Housing: The committee’s summary said the bill “implements the most substantial overhaul of the Privatized Military Housing Initiative since its creation in 1996,” including a Tenant Bill of Rights.
- Personnel benefits: It locks in a 3.1% military pay raise and begins a three-year phase-out of the “widow’s tax.” All federal workers will be eligible for 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
- Family support: It calls for a comprehensive study of child care capacity at installations and doubles the amount spouses can be reimbursed for professional licensure fees when they move to a new state.
- Disaster relief: The bill authorizes $5.3 billion for disaster relief at storm-affected installations.
- 5G: The bill authorizes funding for 5G test sites and calls for a DOD 5G strategy.
