WASHINGTON D.C. (WLIO) - The increased inflation pushed the national defense spending bill higher. The over $816 billion National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law last week by President Biden. The bill was $45 billion higher than originally requested to offset the record high inflation that the Untied States is currently experiencing. The bill also approved a nearly 5% pay raise for military and civilian members of the defense department.
“Making sure that men and women in uniform are getting paid a good wage out there for being out there 7 days a week/24 hours a day protecting us,” says Congressman Bob Latta, Ohio’s 5th District. “And also, we were falling behind the Chinese with ships in the Navy and we need to make sure that we can defend this country.”
The Joint Systems Manufacturing Plant also did well in the 2022 defense bill with continued funding for the Abrams and Stryker programs.
“In fact, there is over a billion dollars for tanks, and about a $1.2 billion for Stryker vehicles,” says U.S. Senator Rob Portman. “This is going to help the plant continue to grow. We need more tanks. Unfortunately, the world is a dangerous place, there are a lot of countries that want to have our tanks, who are allies. So, that is good for employment in Lima. It is good for more welders, machinists, engineers, and it is also good for our military readiness.”
The bill also authorizes $800 million for the defense of the Ukraine, which is $500 million more than was originally requested.
