{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-bishop-votes-to-pass-bipartisan-bills-to-strengthen-us-armed-forces-maintain-and-improve-america-s-vital-water-ways", "CONGRESSMAN BISHOP VOTES TO PASS BIPARTISAN BILLS TO STRENGTHEN U.S. ARMED FORCES, MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE AMERICA'S VITAL WATER WAYS", "2024-12-11", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "GA", "Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.", "B000490", "bishop.house.gov", "bishop", "https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., (GA-02) \u2013 Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Military Family Caucus and a senior member of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction \u2013 supported the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025.\n\nThis bill establishes the budget and programs that make up the U.S. Defense Department and covers everything from developing and procuring the weapons and armor that America\u2019s armed forces use to paying the salaries of its troops. The bill includes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted members.\n\n\u201cWhen it comes to our national defense, it is important that we do our best to maintain the world\u2019s most advanced armed forces. That means both supporting our servicemembers and their families as well as maintaining our vital military installations in Georgia and beyond and making sure our troops have cutting edge weapons and technology to get the job done,\u201d said Congressman Bishop. \u201cI am particularly pleased that this bill includes a much needed 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted members of our armed forces. I have been raising the flag concerning food insecurity among active duty servicemembers and finding solutions to ensure no military family goes hungry. This military pay increase will help close the gap in the cost-of-living.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will continue to fight to ensure we take care of those who are securing America\u2019s national defense across the world and here at home,\u201d added Congressman Bishop.\n\nThe NDAA for Fiscal Year 2025 is supported by a wide range of military service organizations, including Blue Star Families, Military Family Advisory Network, Military Officers Association of America, and the National Military Family Association.\n\nYesterday, Congressman Bishop also supported the passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024. This bill authorizes funding and programs that improve the nation\u2019s ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation, flood and storm protection, and other aspects of the nation\u2019s water resources infrastructure.\n\n\u201cWRDA is not only crucial to maintaining America\u2019s vital waterways, but it will also create jobs. The projects supported help keep our communities safe, boost local economies by making our waterways more accessible to Georgians and visitors from across the country, and ensure our ports \u2013 like the Port of Savannah \u2013 remain thriving gateways of commerce and trade for Georgia\u2019s businesses, including our agriculture industry,\u201d said Congressman Bishop.\n\nWRDA supports a wide range of Army Corps of Engineers projects which include maintaining the vital Port of Savannah, investing in flood mitigation efforts in Albany, Georgia, and maintaining the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin. The bill also reauthorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency\u2019s National Dam Safety Program through 2028.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-bishop-votes-to-pass-bipartisan-bills-to-strengthen-us-armed-forces-maintain-and-improve-america-s-vital-water-ways"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7366959471255541, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}