{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://neal.house.gov/2021/12/08/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-2360/", "Neal Votes for Annual Defense Bill to Meet the Needs of Servicemembers and Military Families", "2021-12-08", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington\n\nLast evening, Congressman Richard E. Neal voted to pass bipartisan defense legislation, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022, that strengthens America\u2019s security and meets the needs of our servicemembers, veterans and military families. This robust bill bolsters pay and improves benefits for servicemembers, combats sexual assault in the military and modernizes our defense technology.\n\n\u201cWhen we invest in what makes America strong \u2013 from our technology to our alliances to our men and women in uniform \u2013 we make our nation safer and stronger,\u201d said Congressman Neal, Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means. \u201cThe NDAA is good for residents of western and central Massachusetts and the industries we have here that help keep our government going. In addition to a 2.7 percent raise for our servicemembers, there is more funding to support jobs and growth in our region. These include the authorization of projects that directly impact the workforce at General Dynamics in Pittsfield and Warren Pumps in Warren and the two entities will be able to retain roughly 1,500 jobs. In addition, the NDAA includes many provisions related to addressing the PFAS contamination in communities Westfield and throughout Berkshire County. The NDAA also requires that servicemembers in the National Guard and Reserves get paid at the same rate as their active-duty counterparts for special duty pay. Westover Air Reserve Base and Barnes Air National Guard generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development and this bill will ensure they are able to continue being strong community partners.\u201d\n\nThe FY22 NDAA:\n\nsecures a 2.7 percent pay increase for our men and women in uniform;\n\nmakes historic and significant changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice to combat sexual assault and related crimes in the military;\n\ninvests in Historically Black Colleges and Universities to help build a fairer and more diverse Armed Services; and\n\nmakes key investments to address the threat of climate change and bolster energy resiliency.\n\n\u201cAs Members of Congress, we have no greater responsibility than to ensure the security of our nation \u2013 and that starts with supporting our men and women in uniform,\u201d Congressman Neal continued. \u201cWith this year\u2019s defense funding bill, Democrats secured crucial benefits and protections for our Servicemembers that will make our nation safer and stronger, while also making strong investments in our national defense and in our security interests. I was proud to vote for this bill, which honors the service and sacrifice of our troops and their families.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"]], "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://neal.house.gov/2021/12/08/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-2360/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9411689825356007, "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"}