Congressman Troy Carter Brings Home Big Wins for Louisiana in Defense Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the bipartisan defense funding measure that will strengthen our national security, invest in our service members, and bring home tangible wins for the people and enlisted Louisianians.

“The security of our nation is not only measured in our military might – but also in the well-being of our service members, the superiority of our technology and the strength of our alliances,” said Congressman Carter. “As our nation confronts accelerating threats to democracy – here at home and around the world – this legislation is a strong step forward to ensure that Americans remain safe and Americaremains secure. I am also proud to have fought for the inclusion of so many projects within this package that will benefit Louisianians, including my amendment to improve safety along the Mississippi River in Louisiana and to kickstart billions of dollars in critical ecosystem restoration in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.”

Congressman Carter continued, “I am grateful that my amendment, the Recreation Hazards of the Banks of the Mississippi River Study, was included in the 2022 NDAA bill. My constituents deserve to enjoy the majesty of our Mississippi River without fearing for their safety. I offered this amendment in memory of the children who tragically lost their lives, and I believe we need to improve the insufficient measures needed to alert the public of the hazards along the riverbank and dangerous river conditions. I hope this amendment will help ensure no other lives are lost and greatly minimize threats to all who enjoy the banks of the Mississippi River.”

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is the foundation of American national security policy and has passed Congress for 62 consecutive years, doing so on a strongly bipartisan, bicameral basis. Along with pay raises for our servicemembers, financial investments in Ukraine and our allies, and strengthening protections for people for who have experienced sexual assault in the military, this year’s NDAA also includes the entire Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), the major funding measure for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work for flood control, water navigation, and ecosystem restoration.

Both these bills are critically important to our nation and to Louisiana, and that’s why Congressman Carter fought to include specific funding and support for priorities and projects within this entire package that will help improve daily life for his constituents and the people of Louisiana. These include:

Funding for Louisiana National Guard Needs:

Abbeville Readiness Center - $1.65 million

The Abbeville Readiness Center is severely outdated and degraded, which impacts the readiness of the state during All-Hazard events and federal mission preparation. The readiness center will serve as central hub for local units located in the vicinity of Abbeville, LA and will increase efficiency, response efforts, and mitigate unsafe conditions, which currently exist for the service members who operate out of the facility.

Camp Beauregard Energy Resilience Conservation Investment Project – $765,000

The Camp Beauregard Energy Resilience Conservation Investment Program Project (ERCIP) will provide a base-wide 2MW natural gas generator back-up. This project will also include a main backbone (Grid), water and energy resiliency measures, and switchgears to improve isolation capabilities. This project will improve emergency operations by allowing for a consistent energy solution for Camp Beauregard, which is home to Louisiana’s Joint Operations Center.

Munitions Administrative Facility in Belle Chase: $1.65 million

The current Munitions Administrative Facility houses both Air National Guard and active-duty Navy personnel. Munitions build up occurs in the same complex that administrative personnel are housed, which is a violation of munitions safety protocols, and requires all personnel to evacuate the facility while build up is being conducted. This process is not only unsafe, but severely inefficient.

The current Munitions Administrative Facility is located in a joint use building plagued with deteriorating infrastructure that drains resources to keep it viable. As a joint use facility the ANG is reliant on Navy to conduct repairs. This proposal would allow for a separate facility to ensure our service members are performing their duties in safe conditions, and without the need to stop performing their duty while munitions are being handled.

WRDA Bills:

Congressman Carter’s Mississippi River Safety Review of Recreational Hazards

• The final bill included Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr.’s amendment to improve safety along the banks of the Mississippi River, especially after the tragic drowning of three children who resided in his home community of Algiers, New Orleans.

U.S. Army Corps Water Management Projects

• An amendment stating that the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) will be funded at a 100% federal cost share and that the U.S. Army Corps should continue paused ecosystem restoration and construction work to protect coastal habitat and communities on the MRGO. Without this amendment, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had determined that the State of Louisiana would be required to cover 10% of the project’s cost.

• The Lower Mississippi River Comprehensive Management Study was authorized within the bounds of the Mississippi River & Tributaries project with a 100% federal cost share.

• Authorized a project for hurricane and storm damage risk reduction for the Upper Barataria Basin and for South Central Coastal Louisiana with a federal contribution of: $1.18 billion toward the $1.82 billion project.

• On Louisiana’s South Central Coast, funded a project for hurricane and storm damage risk reduction with a $809.3 million contribution toward the $1.24 million cost.

• U.S. Army Corps water management and flood control in the Lake Pontchartrain vicinity, which gives $950.3 million in federal funding out of the $1.46 billion cost as well as in the West Bank vicinity, with a 508.33 million contribution out of the full $783.05 million price tag.

• Increased the cost cap for the Baton Rouge Environmental Assistance project to $90 million.

• Authorized $36 million for St John, St Charles, and St James Parishes to plan, design, and construct comprehensive water and wastewater treatment facilities.

• Authorized $70 million for St. Charles, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines Parishes for water related infrastructure.

• Assigning the U.S. Army Corps Secretary the operation, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of the Algiers Canal Levees at full federal expense.

• Support for studies and projects to reduce flood and hurricane and storm damage hazards or to restore the natural functions and values of rivers and shorelines including in the Louisiana Coastal Area.

• Funding for U.S. Army Corps programs to address the harmful algal blooms in the coastal and tidal waters of Louisiana.

• Orleans Parish $100,000,000 authorized for water and wastewater infrastructure needs in the parish.

• Formally designates The Gulf of Mexico Alliance, comprised of the States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, as Regional Ocean Partnerships.

Other key Democratic wins in this year’s NDAA include:

• 4.6% pay raise for service members to help ease the sting of inflation. The bill also empowers the Pentagon to raise the basic housing allowance, bringing down food prices by directing more funding to commissaries, and expanding support for child care.

• Rejecting House Republicans’ top extreme MAGA anti-choice demands: protecting President Biden’s DoD program that ensures service members are able to travel to access legal abortion if they are stationed in a state that criminalizes reproductive care.

• Strengthening fight against sexual harassment in the military by requiring independently trained investigators outside the immediate chain of command to investigate sexual harassment, and placing it under the jurisdiction of the Special Trial counsel.

• Including a version of the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act – a long-sought Democratic priority to make it easier for federally employed firefighters who contract certain diseases to qualify for federal workers’ compensation.

• Making major investments in diversity and inclusion, including a record amount of funding for defense research at HBCUs and MSIs. It also creates a new fellowship program to provide additional opportunities for those from underrepresented communities to serve within DoD.

• Supporting our growing domestic semiconductor industry: requiring government contractors to use exclusive semiconductor chips that were Made in America. This will help create good-paying American jobs, secure our supply chains and bolster our economic competitiveness on the world stage.

• Securing significant investments in clean energy and energy efficiency at DoD, harnessing solar and electric technologies to ensure that our defense facilities and vehicle fleets are resilient to climate disaster and energy disruptions.

• The most consequential Oceans package in generations, focusing on conserving oceans, coasts and Great Lakes in order to protect jobs and businesses, ensure resilient access to clean water and preserve invaluable aquatic life and their natural habitat. At the same time, this package modernizes the NOAA Corps and secures more hurricane hunter aircrafts, to help protect communities from extreme weather and climate disaster.

• Promoting American leadership in the global arena by investing in our alliances and partnerships. The NDAA ensures that America and our allies maintain a military edge: delivering more than $11 billion in funding for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, more than $6 billion for the European Deterrence Initiative, and an additional $800 million in funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

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