Rep. George Whitesides Secures Key Wins for CA-27’s Cost of Living, Local Jobs, Fire Resilience, Defense in NDAA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Late last night, Rep. George Whitesides (CA-27) secured several key wins for California’s 27th District in the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), bringing critical federal funding home that will help lower the cost of housing, create local jobs, support education and workforce development programs, and improve wildfire response capabilities. The Congressman also secured billions for local servicemembers and defense operations at U.S. Air Force Plant 42, Lockheed’s Skunk Works, Edwards Air Force Base and district contractors.

“As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am committed to advocating for the men and women working at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 and Lockheed’s Skunk Works, as well as the numerous servicemembers and civilians I represent who work at the Air Force 412th Test Wing and Edwards Air Force Base,” said Rep. Whitesides. “During the creation of the bill and through the amendment process, I fought to make sure our district’s voice was prioritized, we were bringing jobs home, and making life safer and more affordable for the families I represent.”

Every year, the House Armed Services Committee authors and passes the NDAA, which establishes defense priorities and directs military spending. Rep. Whitesides’ amendments reflect his commitment to lowering the cost of living, creating jobs in his district, supporting workforce development programs, improving our safety and security, and combating the wildfire crisis.

During the Committee hearing, Rep. Whitesides led on the following amendments that were successfully adopted, including:

• Bringing down the cost of civilian housing through the Department of Defense’s use of innovative building materials.
• Protecting health care for servicemembers and their families by ensuring the Defense Health Agency is adequately staffed and prepared to meet the needs of their 9.5M beneficiaries and 700+ hospitals and clinics in the Military Health System.
• Using autonomous firefighting technology to attack wildfires that are too dangerous for manned aircraft.
• Providing stability and additional resources to the National Guard’s FireGuard program, which detects, tracks, and shares information about the spread of wildfires with local public safety officials.
• Multiple amendments investing in next generation aerospace and maritime capabilities developed by cutting-edge companies in CA-27.

Rep. Whitesides secured numerous fire prevention provisions that will help CA-27 and the country stay safe during wildfire season, including:

• Support for the extremely successful FireGuard program, which will enable better detection and tracking of wildfires, and faster information sharing with local first responders.
• Legislation to require the Department of Defense’s innovation unit to utilize their resources and expertise towards the creation of modern aerial fire response technology.
• Legislation to require DARPA to utilize their resources and expertise towards the creation of modern aerial fire response technology.
• Investments in DoD’s efforts to field autonomous firefighting aircraft that will enable responders to fly unmanned firefighting units into dangerous zones.
• Support for the XPRIZE wildfire competition to help generate revolutionary wildfire fighting technology.

Rep. Whitesides helped secure approximately $10 billion in federal funding for next-generation aircraft from the Antelope Valley:

• Over $5.7 billion for the B-21 Raider, Northrop Grumman's next-generation stealth bomber for the U.S. Air Force, which is built at Plant 42 in Palmdale.
• Over $4 billion for the Lockheed Martin F-35, whose center fuselage is built by Northrop at Plant 42.
• Over $120 million for the F-15 Eagle, aspects of which have been upgraded at Plant 42.
• Over $95 million for Northrop Grumman’s B-2 Spirit, the current strategic stealth bomber in the United States Air Force, which was built in Palmdale and is now upgraded and tested at Plant 42.

Rep. Whitesides also secured provisions in the NDAA to:

• Support local community colleges who want to provide a pathway to students wishing to pursue technical training in the defense industrial base.
• Protect thousands of jobs through the construction of a Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Combat Ready Airman (CRA) Flight Demonstrator throughout the district.
• Augment hypersonic testing at Mojave’s pioneering Stratolaunch, where over 100 CA-27 residents work.
• Invest in greater national security through CA-27 defense suppliers, including Techno Planet Incorporated, Cicoil, LLC, and Pacific Testing Laboratories, Inc., and their efforts to protect our GPS satellite network against threats from Russia and China.
• Support U.S. Air Force programs that develop advanced aerospace materials, including a center in Valencia that employs over 100 CA-27 residents, in their efforts to reduce health and environmental impacts.
• Invest in CA-27’s innovation economy through the development of advanced propulsion technology, which hundreds of CA-27 employees work on.
• Strengthen the Department of Defense’s efforts to bolster our hypersonic defenses, vital work that’s being done at multiple innovative companies in CA-27.

Rep. Whitesides also supported the following important elements of the NDAA:

• Authorizing a 3.8% pay raise for all military personnel.
• Lowering the cost of housing for servicemembers through updated calculations based on market trends.
• Extending the Child Care In Your Home Pilot Program, which helps military families with the cost of full-time child care.
• Creating an Industrial Resilience Consortium, which will support U.S. innovation and manufacturing, address supply chain gaps and speed up the adoption of advanced manufacturing.
• Aiding local educational agencies with military dependent students.
• Expanding access to food and nutrition on military installations.
• Expanding mental health services for servicemembers.
• Expanding care and benefits for women’s health through TRICARE.
• Authorizing research, development, testing, and evaluations for science and technology programs.

With the passage of the bill at the full committee level, the NDAA will now proceed to a vote on the House floor later this year.

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