With victory in the upcoming midterm elections now almost certain, Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) will now be focused on preserving provisions of the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act in Congress.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With a GOP primary victory under his belt and bound for almost certain reelection in deep-red Utah, U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) will shortly be returning to work with new responsibilities on Capitol Hill.
After passing a floor vote on June 23, the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) now has to be reconciled with its Senate version. Moore will be part of those negotiations as a member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC).
“Rep. Blake Moore has worked tirelessly to make sure that Fiscal Year 2023 NDAA strengthens our military and provides for service members,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Rodgers, the ranking Republican on the HASC.
In addition to defending the welfare of Hill Air Force Base and deterring Russian aggression, Moore said that his recommendations to House committee members “ … addressed the economic hardships of lower-enlisted personnel by providing an inflationary bonus, additional housing allowances and funding to reduce food costs at military commissaries at Hill AFB and at bases across the country.”
But now, Moore will have to defend those provisions from Democrats seeking to re-impose President Joe Biden’s vision of the Pentagon’s needs.
In the spring, Biden suggested a rather austere budget of $813 billion for the armed services.
By a bipartisan 23-3 vote, the Senate version of the NDAA proposed $846 in spending, while the House recommended $850 billion.
After a joint conference committee oversees a compromise between those alternative measures, the final version will still need to be voted on by both the House and Senate before being forwarded to the president for approval.
The House bill authorized a 4.6% pay raise for service members, plus a 2.4% inflationary bonus for junior enlisted personnel.
It also earmarks millions of dollars for emerging technology programs – including a plan to share early warning information on missile threats with our allies.
If passed, the NDAA would also prohibit DoD research, development, testing and evaluation funding for contractors with ties to the Chinese or Russian militaries or intelligence services.
Moore also listed seven programs that are near and dear to his heart that might be up for grabs in the process of reconciling the House and Senate versions of the NDAA.
Those include modernization at Hill AFB and the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program.
The GBSD program is an $80 billion multi-year effort to replace Minuteman missiles now based in silos through the West with the Sentinel missile being developed by Northrop-Grumman.
Also at Hill AFB, Moore’s suggestions support efforts to field threat emitter equipment to help train F-35 pilots over the Utah Test and Training Range in the West Desert.
Moore also recommended that the Air Force address adequate housing for enlisted men and care for military children with special needs.
He also required DoD officials to better utilize American small businesses in the defense industrial base and to increase the resiliency and integrity of the microelectronics supply chain.
Luckily, the national defense of the United States is one concern that enjoys broad support on both sides of the aisle in Congress.
“It is an honor serving on the most bipartisan committee in Congress,” Moore explains. “I’m eager to further refine this bill through the legislative process.”