Boosting Maine, Defending America
For more than sixty years, Congress has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — an annual bill that prioritizes America’s national security interests at home — with strong bipartisan support. It’s one of the most meaningful pieces of legislation I work on in the Senate Armed Services Committee, but this bill is also very important for us here at home in Maine. Especially for what we are facing now … let me explain.
Last fall, the entire Maine community was shocked when a gunman took the lives of 18 innocent people at a bowling alley and local restaurant in Lewiston. It was absolutely devastating then, and today, we are still working to pick up the pieces and process the pain. However, as we continue to grieve, we must do everything in our power to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again. One approach was to closer study and track the neurology of our men and women who enter the Armed Forces; the man who took these innocent lives had struggled with brain trauma from repeated exposure to blasts and explosions. That’s why I worked with my committee colleagues to include the bipartisan Blast Overpressure Safety Act that I co-sponsored with the other members of the Maine Delegation. This legislation aims to better protect servicemembers from blast exposure and address traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which are considered the “signature wound” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill also includes funding for the Special Operations Brain Health and Trauma Program, which provides veterans and servicemembers who served in special operations roles brain health care and support. Through these inclusions, we can not only help our military personnel and veterans as they recover from service, but we can also protect our community from horrible tragedies like the one in Lewiston.
In addition to keeping our servicemembers healthy, this legislation also includes a 4.5% pay increase for military servicemembers and a 2% pay increase for civilian personnel. Investing in our people is not just good for national security, but also for our neighbors and friends in the military and supporting roles who will be more comfortable living, working, and spending in Maine. It’s a win-win: an investment in our military and an investment in our local economy.
Speaking of investing in our people and our local economy, this bill will aid University of Maine-driven research and development in soil stabilization and infrastructure resiliency, textile developments, and digital manufacturing. The bill authorizes funding for Pratt and Whitney built engines and provides important oversight of the Defense Department of jet engine programs. The bill supports small and large businesses across the state from hypersonics to composites and metal alloys like tungsten, and it further stresses the importance of Defense Industrial Alliances such as the Maine Defense Industrial Alliance.
Maine’s veterans are also assisted through this legislation. I know how difficult the transition can be from active duty to veteran status, so we made sure the Welcome Home Veterans Act was included to ensure servicemembers are better connected to their state veterans agencies as they begin to transition out of active duty. Additionally, the Committee remained focused on improving the Transition Assistance Program and additional measures to improve veteran participation and training.
Lastly, I would be remiss to not mention our incredible shipbuilders at Bath Iron Works (BIW) who will greatly benefit from this year’s defense bill. At my urging, we secured $1.43 billion for BIW to build a third Naval destroyer. It also fully supports improvements at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. This will help ensure job continuity and stability for all those in Maine who rely on the continued success of our remarkable shipyards.
Bottom line: not only is the National Defense Authorization Act a patriotic bill to strengthen America at home and abroad, it is also a source of state pride for Maine. I hope my colleagues in the Senate and House move swiftly to send the bill to the President’s desk.
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Supporting and Honoring Our Veterans
Our veterans and servicemembers have made countless sacrifices to defend and serve our nation. We have an obligation to return that service to them after they hang up their uniforms. That means ensuring they have the support and resources needed to stay healthy and thrive as civilians.
We all know the saying that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." And with falls being a leading cause of injury for veterans, we need to make sure they have access to the preventative care that falls prevention programs offer.
So, I teamed up with my colleague Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) to introduce the SAFE STEPS for Veterans Act. This bipartisan bill would establish an Office of Falls Prevention within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and create a falls prevention coordinator role. It's clear: preventative care is a win-win for patients, families, the Department of Veterans Affairs and taxpayers.
Beyond supporting and caring for our veterans, we also must ensure we take care of their dependents. After all, the entire family serves when a loved one signs up to serve.
GI Bill benefits, which help pay for college, graduate school and training programs, can be transferred to dependents after six years of service if the servicemember agrees to serve an additional four years. And, in 2018, the GI Bill was expanded to allow Purple Heart recipients to transfer their benefits regardless of years of service. However, a current loophole prevents a small group of wounded warriors who received their Purple Heart after being discharged from being able to transfer their benefits.
So, I joined the bipartisan Purple Heart Veterans Education Act which would help to close this loophole for good. This bill would ensure that every servicemember who has received a Purple Heart after an honorable discharge can transfer their well-deserved benefits with no strings attached.
This month I also had the honor of joining bipartisan legislation to award more than 75,000 Army and Navy nurses who bravely served in World War II with a Congressional Gold Medal.
Nurses like Helen Siragusa, who passed away in Winthrop last year at 100 years old, were the true embodiment of "Dirigo" as they served and led the nation in the midst of the one of the deadlines wars. I am proud to join my colleagues in recognizing their bravery and dedication to country — their heroic service continues to inspire young men and women today and will for generations to come.
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