Strickland Secures Over 10 Wins for Military Families & Servicemembers in Defense Budget Agreement

Graphic of the county

Washington, DC– Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed S. 1605, the bipartisan, bicameral text of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 by a vote of 363-70. The NDAA includes over ten provisions Strickland secured to support servicemembers and their families at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) and across our nation to address housing security, hunger, and more. 

“Investments in military personnel and their families are an investment in our nation’s readiness. Every defense budget must demonstrate that we value servicemembers and their families, like those at Joint Base Lewis McChord, who sacrifice so much to keep us safe and secure,” said Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10). “I am pleased to have secured several provisions in this year’s NDAA to address housing security, hunger, and help all servicemembers and their families thrive. The wins in this agreement will serve as a strong foundation to build on as we continue to address housing in high-cost regions, food insecurity, racial equity, extremism and more. As this agreement heads to the Senate, I’m proud to have worked with Chairman Smith and my colleagues to advance a defense budget that supports our national security, military survivors of sexual trauma, a much-deserved pay increase for servicemembers, and critical steps forward to address housing and hunger issues.”

“I am proud that this year’s NDAA will include transformational policy reforms that will benefit our service members and their families, take on the military sexual assault crisis, and deliver results for other national security priorities of the American people. I want to thank Congresswoman Strickland for her tireless work in our Committee to ensure a defense bill which addresses crucial needs of servicemembers and their families, including military hunger, housing security and other priorities, in Washington and across our nation,” said Chairman Adam Smith (WA-9). “Expeditious passage of S. 1605 by the Senate and signature by President Biden will strengthen our national security by giving these critical reforms the force of law.”

Several Strickland priorities were included in the bicameral, bipartisan FY22 NDAA agreement, which passed the House yesterday, ten of which are listed below:

The FY2022 NDAA also:

A summary of the provisions in the FY22 NDAA is available here.

Strickland is a strong advocate for servicemembers, military families, defense communities, and veterans in Congress. Strickland co-led the introduction of the bipartisan Military Hunger Prevention Act to help low-income military families living with food insecurity make ends meet. In June, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland co-led the entire bipartisan Washington House delegation in sending a letter urging the US Department of Veterans Affairs to take immediate action to resolve the systemic issues plaguing the veterans’ health care system. In May, Strickland made a statement to the Veterans Affairs Committee, to shine a light on the delays and communications breakdowns that veterans living in Washington’s 10th Congressional District are experiencing through the VHA’s Community Care program. In March, Strickland co-led a letter to President Biden urging a boost in funding for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP), which would enable investments to enhance military family quality of life, resilience, or military value – including at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. In July, Strickland secured inclusion of $75 million in funding for DCIP in the FY22 Defense Appropriations bill.  She also led her fellow Korean American Members of Congress in introducing legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Colonel Young Oak Kim in recognition of his extraordinary heroism, leadership, and humanitarianism. 

U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and is the only African-American woman who serves on the House Armed Services Committee. She is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, is one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress and is the first African-American elected to represent the Pacific Northwest at the federal level. 

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