{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=78C8B4EF-F52D-4FE7-A646-794B32D3E26B", "President Signs Bipartisan Defense Bill Heitkamp Helped Pass", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp released the following statement after President Trump signed bipartisan defense legislation Heitkamp helped pass to authorize U.S. Department of Defense funding levels and set our nation\u2019s defense policy, which includes several key provisions Heitkamp pushed for to support North Dakota\u2019s defense installations and jobs.\r\n\u201cToday is a win for North Dakota\u2019s military installations, as well as our government\u2019s ability to consistently support our nation\u2019s servicemembers and defense operations,\u201d said Heitkamp. \u201cThe military plays such a vital role in our state, whether it\u2019s in keeping us safe or boosting our economy. This strong, bipartisan defense bill provides our military with the resources, technology, and training it needs to protect American families, and it provides North Dakota reservists with the health care they earned through their service. In the face of North Korean aggression, it was also encouraging that my provision to reinforce our nation\u2019s commitment to our Pacific allies was signed into law. To address emerging global threats, this legislation recognizes that many of North Dakota\u2019s key defense capabilities require upgrades, such as the B-52 bombers, ICBMs, and UH-1N helicopters. I\u2019ll continue pushing for these modernization efforts, and I will not stop fighting for North Dakota\u2019s service men and women and defense communities.\u201d\r\nHeitkamp helped pass an earlier version of the bill in September, and she successfully pushed for several provisions to support North Dakota by:\r\nDefending against the North Korea threat: Heitkamp\u2019s amendment reassures our allies of America\u2019s steadfast commitment to protecting against the North Korea nuclear threat. As North Korea continues to threaten regional stability and peace with its missile and nuclear weapons tests, Heitkamp\u2019s amendment makes clear that the United States stands ready to provide its full range of capabilities in the defense of our allies.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nHelping veterans join the workforce: The legislation encourages the expansion of a Department of Defense program known as SkillBridge, a key provision of legislation Heitkamp introduced, to allow service members to participate in an internship at a federal agency during their final 180 days of service, giving them skills to help them succeed in the workforce.\u00a0\r\nBoosting Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) research: The bill encourages the military to use facilities such as the Northern Plains UAS Test Site in Grand Forks to research and develop capabilities to defend against the threat that unmanned aircraft could pose to military installations like those in North Dakota.\u00a0Heitkamp has long advocated to expand and strengthen Grand Forks\u2019 UAS mission.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nHeitkamp, a cofounder of the bipartisan Senate Defense Communities Caucus, also successfully fought to include several provisions that help bolster North Dakota\u2019s defense efforts by:\r\n\u00b7Modernizing our nuclear capabilities.\u00a0The legislation includes support for B-52 squadrons and ICBM squadrons, and also extends special pay and bonus authorities for nuclear officers. This is an important step forward in Heitkamp\u2019s years-long efforts to bolster critical nuclear deterrence missions.\r\n\u00b7Protecting our missile fields. The bill urges the Secretary of the Air Force to expedite procurement of replacement UH-1N aircraft, used to protect our missile fields. For years, Heitkamp has pushed for the replacement of the aging UH-1N helicopters, and sent a letter to Defense Secretary Mattis pressing the need for replacement earlier this year.\r\n\u00b7Supporting RQ-4 Global Hawks. Recognizing the critical importance of the missions performed by Grand Forks Air Force Base\u2019s Global Hawks, Heitkamp pushed to secure funding and long-term support for the RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft. The final bill notes that the Global Hawks are essential for providing warfighters with the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance they\u00a0need and should remain in the Air Force inventory as long as they provide such unique capabilities. Heitkamp has long-supported the Global Hawks mission.\r\n\u00b7Authorizing an Indoor Firing Range at Minot Air Force Base.\u00a0This funding will enable the Air Force to build a fully-enclosed firing range to ensure that airmen can complete their arms training in safe conditions.\u00a0A new range will reduce air quality concerns, provide higher quality training with lower maintenance costs and ensure the range is available regardless of winter weather conditions. The new facility would provide greater capacity than the current range, consolidating four existing buildings into one fully-enclosed firing range.\r\n\u00b7Strengthening our missile defense in the face of the North Korean threat. Following her October 2016 Asia-Pacific fact-finding trip focused on ballistic missile defense, Heitkamp pushed to enhance defenses against emerging North Korean ballistic missile threats. The National Defense Authorization Act includes several provisions to bolster our defenses, including authorizing more interceptors.\r\n\u00b7Supporting reservists. The bill includes a provision Heitkamp supported to allow deployed Reserve Component members to receive pre-mobilization and transitional TRICARE health care. This is another step forward to support reservists like the North Dakotan\u2019s currently deployed to Washington, D.C., after Heitkamp helped pass the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act earlier this year.\r\n\u00b7Enhancing Asia-Pacific Stability.\u00a0 To further strengthen U.S. posture to deal with North Korea as well as threats from China, the legislation calls for the expansion of exercises, investments in infrastructure, and additional U.S. military presence in Asia, as Heitkamp called for in a letter to Defense Secretary Mattis.\u00a0\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=78C8B4EF-F52D-4FE7-A646-794B32D3E26B"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.568295992910862, "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"}