House Passes Annual Defense Spending Bill
Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, July 21, 2020, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6395, the Mac Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) voted in favor of the bill.
"North Carolina's Third Congressional District has a tremendous military influence. In such a military-laden district, I am obviously very supportive of our men and women in uniform. Thus, I voted in favor of the House's version of the NDAA. While there are certain poison pill items in this bill that I oppose, there are also several things that I support, like the pay raise for our brave men and women in uniform and my amendment which was added to help Fleet Readiness Center - East," said Murphy.
"As the bill goes to conference with the Senate, I am confident that it will become a better piece of legislation. I will continue to work with my North Carolina colleague and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Thom Tillis, to fight for the interests of the military installations in the Third District."
Fleet Readiness Center Amendment
The annual defense spending package contained an amendment that Murphy offered, which directs the Department of the Navy to pay for construction projects at Fleet Readiness Centers (FRCs). Fleet Readiness Centers perform maintenance and engineering on Naval and Marine Corps aircraft.
The amendment was needed because FRC-East in Havelock was caught in dispute between the Navy and Marine Corps over which service would pay for military construction projects at the base. This dispute caused the delay of many construction projects at FRC-East for decades. Murphy's amendment directs the Navy to pay for these projects, thus ending the dispute.
"FRC-East is a Department of the Navy facility that is a tenant command on Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point. Therefore, the money for construction projects on them should come out of the Navy's budget. I am proud to have led the charge in changing this decades-long dispute by including this commonsense provision in the House version of the NDAA," said Murphy.
"FRC-East is the largest industrial employer in the state of North Carolina, with an economic impact of about $800 million in eastern North Carolina. I will continue to be an advocate for FRC-East, which is not only a major economic boon for eastern North Carolina, but also a major national security asset for this nation. Having recently visited there last week, supporting those who work at FRC-East, along with all of the men and women at the many military installations in the Third District, is one of my top priorities in the House of Representatives."