{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=B43FD17D-A970-44C9-9F4B-DD72946EEE7A", "McConnell Secures Kentucky Priorities in Critical Defense Bill Passed by Senate", "2022-12-15", "2022", "2022-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) today praised Senate passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a critical defense policy and funding bill. The Senator secured several important provisions in the legislation for Kentucky\u2019s servicemembers, military installations, and defense programs.\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s enemies are on the move, but Kentucky\u2019s servicemembers and military installations are better prepared than ever to defend against them. I was proud to vote in support of our men and women in uniform and secure record funding for our national defense in this year\u2019s NDAA,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cKentucky plays a key role in America\u2019s national security and this bill only deepens our commitment. From landmark progress at the Blue Grass Army Depot, to support for servicemembers based at Kentucky\u2019s Fort Knox and Fort Campbell, to renewed funding for drug eradication and 21st-century cybersecurity training, the provisions I helped secure in this bill will support Kentucky\u2019s military heroes as they work to keep our country safe.\u201d\n\nThis legislation authorizes well-deserved funding increases for our nation\u2019s military heroes, including:\n\nThe highest pay raise in twenty years for both military servicemembers and Department of Defense (DOD) civilian workers to address recruiting and retention problems.\n\n$847 billion in topline funding for military and national security programs - $45 billion more than President Biden requested \u2013 to respond to inflation and heightened security risks around the globe.\n\n$1 billion to replenish our national defense stockpile with modern weaponry, supporting defense industrial manufacturing jobs in Kentucky and across the country.\n\nThe bill includes the following provisions that specifically benefit Kentucky and increase the Commonwealth\u2019s role in America\u2019s defense:\n\n$20 million for the University of Louisville\u2019s Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program. In 2019, Senator McConnell authored the provision and later secured the funding necessary to help create this program at the university.\n\nA renewed commitment to modernize Army equipment, keeping Kentucky\u2019s Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division at the forefront of America\u2019s air assault framework.\n\n$350 million for the acquisition of the first Gray Eagle Unmanned Aerial Systems for Army National Guard units.\n\nContinued funding for the National Guard Counter-Drug Education and Eradication Program, which supports illicit drug eradication efforts in Eastern Kentucky.\n\nFull funding for the ongoing Chemical Demilitarization Pilot Program at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, Kentucky, to address cost increases caused by inflation.\n\nAuthorization for a feasibility study for the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, Kentucky, to support future development as the site transitions from its chemical weapons demilitarization program.\n\nThe legislation includes the following provisions to protect servicemembers\u2019 individual freedoms:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:41:06Z"]], "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.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=B43FD17D-A970-44C9-9F4B-DD72946EEE7A"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.837577972561121, "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"}