What the Defense Bill Means for Texas

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after securing multiple priorities for Texas in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 to support Texas servicemembers, military installations, and ongoing national security efforts. Below is a list of Sen. Cornyn’s legislation and other Texas-specific provisions included in the Senate’s version of the NDAA.  

“Given the state of today’s world, preserving our military readiness has never been more important,” said Sen. Cornyn. “The defense authorization bill helps strengthen our alliances, modernizes our military facilities, and makes sure Texas servicemembers get the benefits they are due, and I am glad to support this legislation to prepare our military for the threats of tomorrow.”  

Sen. Cornyn’s legislation passed as part of the NDAA:

• Securing American Acquisitions, Readiness, and Military Stockpiles (ARMS) Act: Gives the Department of Defense enhanced procurement authorities to quickly refill American defense stockpiles after the President provides aid to an ally or partner attacked by a foreign adversary
• Partnership for Advancing Regional Training and Narcotics Enforcement Response Strategies (PARTNERS) Act: Allows the Department of Defense (DoD) to train Mexican military forces in the United States to combat cartels and fentanyl trafficking in Mexico
• Armed Forces Facility Conditions and Quality of Life Act: Requires an independent study of the Department of Defense to determine the impact of facility conditions and military construction projects on the quality of life of military members and their families 
• Outbound Investment Transparency Act: Increases transparency of investments by American entities in sensitive technologies in China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea
• Sensible Classification Act: Increases accountability and oversight of the classification system, limits overclassification, and directs federal agencies to justify security clearance requirements
• Cranes of Concern at our Ports (CCP) Act: Requires the federal government to evaluate threats to U.S. ports posed by cranes manufactured in countries of concern, especially those made by China’s Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company (ZPMC) 
• Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) Pilot Program Act: Creates a pilot program that would allow up to 20 trusted non-asset and asset based, third-party logistic providers (3PLs) to become CTPAT certified
• Airport Infrastructure Resources (AIR) Security Act: Permanently reauthorizes Sen. Cornyn’s legislation prohibiting federal airport improvement funds from being used to purchase passenger boarding bridges from companies that have violated the IP rights and threaten the national security of the United States

Other Texas-specific provisions include:

• Raises troops’ pay by 5.2%.
• Authorizes $230 million for military construction projects in Texas, including:
  • $74 million to Fort Bliss in El Paso for rail yard improvements to help the military receive and deploy equipment more efficiently
  • $65.5 million to Fort Cavazos:
    • $20 million for the planning and design of new barracks
    • $37 million for power generation improvement projects and securing the energy grid
    • $2.7 million for a new multipurpose training building
    • $5.8 million for tactical equipment maintenance facilities
  • $6.7 million to the Texas National Guard in Fort Worth:
    • $6.4 million for an aircraft maintenance hangar
    • $381,000 to upgrade maintenance facilities used to care for their trucks and tactical vehicles
  • $20 million to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland for a child development center
  • $10.8 million to Joint Base San Antonio for an F-16 Mission Training Center
  • $16 million to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth for a logistics warehouse to provide increased capacity and contribute to operational readiness 
• Authorizes $35 million to the Pantex Plant, Panhandle, Texas for the Analytic Gas Laboratory
• Includes over $5 billion to maintain air superiority and support the production rate, modernization, and readiness of the F-35 fleet built at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth
• Supports Texas job creation at major contractors and suppliers from multiple industries