WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the Senate with ample legislative wins for Louisiana communities and two bills Kennedy wrote to protect Americans from Communist China’s aggression. 

“Americans deserve to be protected by the world’s strongest, most capable troops, and our service members deserve to be well equipped. This bill raises their pay, funds key defense investments in Louisiana and takes significant steps to counter Chinese aggression,” said Kennedy. 

Pacific Islands Forum Partnership Act

The NDAA included the Pacific Islands Forum Partnership Act, which would combat Communist China’s aggression in the Pacific Ocean by establishing a special envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).  The PIF is an international organization of Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island nations.

Beijing recognizes that these nations are strategically located in the Pacific Ocean and has already established a special envoy to the PIF. The U.S only recently appointed its own special envoy after Kennedy filed his original bill last year, but Kennedy’s legislation would make the position permanent and confirmed by the Senate. A special envoy would help answer a diversity of threats from the communist regime by deepening trust and increasing dialogue on the Pacific Islands’ economic, cyber security and military concerns.

Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act

The national defense legislation included Kennedy’s Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act, which would hold executives of foreign companies that are traded on U.S. stock exchanges to the same disclosure requirements that U.S.-based firms are required to follow. 

Insiders at companies in Beijing and Moscow have been able to avoid billions in losses on the U.S. stock exchange by playing by a different set of rules than Americans do. This insider trading comes at a cost to American investors. Kennedy’s amendment would help stop opportunistic insider trading by requiring foreign executives to disclose trades immediately.

Military construction priorities for Louisiana

Kennedy helped secure numerous wins for Louisiana in the NDAA, including:

• $112 million for a weapons generation facility at Barksdale Air Force Base
• $13.4 million for an athletic track and field at Fort Johnson
• $7 million for a dormitory at Barksdale Air Force Base
• $7 million for a medical facility at Barksdale Air Force Base
• $6.4 million for a communications grid at Naval Air Station New Orleans
• $3.7 million for a dormitory at Camp Minden
• $2.4 million for a dormitory at Camp Beauregard
• $2 million for a child development center at Barksdale Air Force Base
• $2 million for a National Guard readiness center at Camp Beauregard

General defense wins

The NDAA:

• Provides for a 5.2% pay raise for military service members.

• Increases funding to recruit military service members.

• Supports the modernization of the U.S. nuclear force.

• Requires all military personnel action to be based on merit and performance. 

• Authorizes increased funding for cutting-edge technology to make American weapons more effective and resilient against enemy attacks.

• Supports requested funding to procure naval vessels, combat aircraft, armored vehicles, weapon systems and munitions.

• Improves America’s capabilities for long-term strategic competition with China. 

• Establishes a comprehensive training, advising and institutional capacity-building program for Taiwan’s military forces to help counter Chinese aggression.

• Supports U.S. defense activities relating to the security partnership among Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States, known as AUKUS, which also helps counter Chinese aggression. 

• Authorizes increased funding for Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard operations.

• Requires the DOD to prioritize basing, training, and exercises in NATO countries that achieve the goal of spending at least two percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024.