{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=B7778106-2D95-4C30-9B32-F0A13C478327", "Rubio Applauds Senate Passage of FY20 NDAA, Securing Critical Provisions for Florida", "2019-12-17", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Marco Rubio", "R000595", "www.rubio.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Press Releases \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHome\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNewsroom\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPress Releases\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWashington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) applauded the Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report, which includes the Fiscal Year 2020 Intelligence Authorization Act and critical provisions for Florida. The Senate's action sends the final conference report to President Trump for signature.Today, the Senate passed the NDAA conference report, ensuring the brave men and women serving in our nation's armed forces and intelligence community have access to critical resources and authorities needed for our national security. It also grants our service men and women their largest pay raise in a decade, Rubio said. Florida continues to be a priority in this NDAA, with funding for military construction projects across the state, including the recovery of Tyndall Air Force Base. The legislation also included the Intelligence Authorization Act, which includes provisions to strengthen our Intelligence Community, safeguard our elections, and better position our country to defend against Chinese, Russian, and other foreign threats.The FY20 NDAA supports a total of $738 billion in funding for our national defense, provides for a 3.1 percent pay raise  the largest in a decade  for uniformed service members, prioritizes investments in research and engineering, invests the necessary resources to achieve the goals in the most recent National Defense Strategy, and authorizes more than $1.5 billion in funding for Tyndall Air Force Base to continue reconstruction following Hurricane Michael's devastation. The bill also includes several provisions aimed at addressing the military housing situation, including the creation of a Military Tenant Bill of Rights, increased oversight, and a fair dispute resolution process for military tenants. The FY20 NDAA also includes a three-year phased repeal of the requirement that Survivor Benefit Plan payments be reduced by Dependency and Indemnity Compensation payments.Rubio supported provisions in the FY20 NDAA:Disaster Recovery\r\n\r\nThe bill authorizes over $1.5 billion for the reconstruction of Tyndall Air Force Base and includes a Sense of Congress calling for the restoration of the base using innovative construction methods, materials, designs, and technologies in order to achieve efficiencies, cost savings, resiliency, and capability. This reconstruction is allowed to open architecture design to evolve with the national defense strategy and efficient ergonomic enterprise for members of the Air Force in the 21st century.\r\n\r\nMilitary Construction\r\n\r\nThe FY20 NDAA supports $192 million in funding for Military Construction projects across Florida in additional to disaster-related funding.\r\n\r\nPay Raise\r\n\r\nThe Conference report pays particular attention to family support, including providing for a 3.1 percent pay raise (the largest increase in a decade), extending special pay and bonuses for service members.\r\n\r\nPaid Family Leave\r\n\r\nThe conference agreement provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all federal civilian employees.\r\n\r\nMilitary Family Housing\r\n\r\nThe NDAA implements the most substantial overhaul of the Privatized Military Housing Initiative since its creation in 1996. These reforms address the considerable gaps in oversight and accountability seen at all levels of housing management from ineffective housing offices, to substandard property management, to under-engaged military leadership. The conference report requires the Pentagon to establish a Tenant Bill of Rights that sets minimum acceptable livability standards, requires better communication, creates greater transparency, addresses establishment of a formal dispute resolution process, bans the use of non-disclosure agreements as a condition of moving out of military housing, and enhances protections against reprisal. Specifically, the conference report:\r\n\r\nRequires the Department to establish a standardized assessment tool to be used in evaluating military housing for certain risks, including lead and mold;\r\nDirects each military service to develop guidelines for a dispute resolution process to include the ability to withhold Basic Allowance for Housing until the dispute is resolved;\r\nIncreases transparency for families by requiring disclosure of major repairs/remediation prior to lease signing;\r\nReinforces the need for the Government Housing Office to be present as the advocate for military families;\r\nRequires new quality control measures and increases health and hazard inspections;\r\nAuthorizes additional funding to ensure installation housing offices are properly staffed;\r\nProvides for a temporary direct hiring authority for government housing personnel to increase oversight of private contractors; and\r\nSuspends the Resident Energy Conservation Program until the Secretary of Defense can certify that homes are accurately metered.\r\n\r\n\r\nMade in Florida\r\n\r\nThe FY20 NDAA authorizes the following programs which are operated, produced in or supported in some form in Florida:\r\n\r\nSupports the budget request for 73 UH-60M Blackhawks, 48 AH-64 Apaches, 9 MH-47G Chinooks, 6 CH-53K King Stallions, 12 HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopters, and 6 MQ-1 Gray Eagles;\r\nIncludes an additional $28 million for the CH-47 Block II program and preserves the option for the Army to buy this helicopter in future years;\r\nProhibits the retirement of RC-135 and KC-10 aircraft;\r\nExpands maritime patrol by adding three additional P-8 Poseidon and one E-2D Hawkeye aircraft;\r\nIncreases intertheater airlift by adding four additional C-130 Hercules aircraft;\r\nFully supports the Air Force UH-1N utility helicopter replacement program;\r\nSupports the Army budget request for 131 Armored Multipurpose Vehicles, 152 Stryker Combat Vehicles, and 165 Abrams Tanks; and\r\nProvides for additional funding for Army medium and heavy tactical trucks.\r\nAuthorizes an additional $1 billion for 12 additional F-35A aircraft to address an identified Air Force unfunded requirement and accelerate delivery of needed 5th generation capability and $440 million for the purchase of additional F-35s originally ordered by Turkey;\r\nProvides the necessary authority for buying F-35 long lead spare parts in bulk to help achieve better cost savings for the F-35 program and authorizes buy-to-budget authority to capitalize on lower unit cost savings;\r\nSupports the budget request for 10 F-35B and 20 F-35C 5th generation strike fighters to help address Navy and Marine Corps strike fighter shortfalls;\r\nSupports the budget request for 24 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to help address Navy strike fighter shortfalls;\r\nSupports full funding for the B-21 long-range strike aircraft development;\r\nSupports the budget request for 8 F-15EX aircraft to begin replacing aging aircraft while also enhancing congressional oversight of the program;\r\nSupports nearly $1 billion for the Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Program ensuring U.S. air superiority for our future;\r\nAuthorizes an additional $249.2 million for the Stryker combat vehicle medium caliber weapon system, an identified Army unfunded requirement.\r\n\r\n\r\nFeres Doctrine\r\n\r\nWhile the NDAA does not repeal the Feres doctrine, it authorizes the Secretary of Defense to allow, settle, and pay an administrative claim against the United States for personal injury or death of a member of the uniformed services that was the result of medical malpractice caused by a Department of Defense health care provider.\r\n\r\nIndustrial Base\r\n\r\nThe FY20 NDAA enables the DoD to assess and mitigate risks to its supply chain posed by advanced intelligence services like China and Russia that seek to exploit vulnerabilities to erode our military advantage. The NDAA:\r\n\r\nModernizes risk assessment and mitigation across DOD's contracting processes to strengthen decision-making about which suppliers to use;\r\nStrengthens reporting to Congress on key industrial base vulnerabilities and plans to address them, including with partners and allies.\r\nImproves insight to and mitigation of risks posed by foreign ownership, control and influence of defense contractors;\r\nImproves insight to contractors' adherence to law and regulation pertaining to human rights and human trafficking, workplace safety, labor standards, sexual harassment, and fraud;\r\nReduces reliance on foreign sources of rare earth minerals;\r\nRepairs microelectronics supply chain security; and\r\nEnhances manufacturing and small business innovation.\r\n\r\n\r\nGuantanamo Bay Detention Facility\r\n\r\nThe FY20 NDAA prohibits transferring GTMO detainees to the U.S., transferring GTMO detainees to certain other countries, constructing or modifying new detention centers in the United States, or on closing or relinquishing control of GTMO. The NDAA also establishes a Chief Medical Officer to oversee the medical care provided to individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay, reporting directly to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.\r\n\r\nCounternarcotics\r\n\r\nThe FY20 NDAA provides $945 million for drug interdiction and counter-drug activities. It also requires an assessment of the impact of any planned or proposed border wall construction would have on the volume of illegal narcotics entering the United States. Finally, it adopts the Fentanyl Sanctions Act, which implements a number of economic and financial sanctions to cripple the operations of foreign traffickers of opioids.\r\n\r\nIntelligence Authorization\r\n\r\nThe FY20 NDAA includes three years of Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA), which authorizes critical intelligence and intelligence-related activities for Fiscal Year 2018, 2019, and 2020 to ensure the Intelligence Community is postured to effectively address the growing array of threats to our national security. Further, the IAA seeks to deter Russian and other foreign influence in our U.S. elections by requiring assessments of foreign intelligence threats to Federal elections and a strategy for countering Russian cyber threats to U.S. elections.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe IAA also addresses challenges to the Intelligence Community's supply chain by requiring an Intelligence Community-led task force to protect against counterintelligence threats from countries such as Russia and China and requires accountability for foreign threats to our infrastructure before entering into foreign intelligence sharing agreements. The bill also focuses on the security of the homeland by requiring relevant intelligence agencies to conduct a strategic intelligence assessment of domestic terrorism threats\r\n\r\nPFAS/PFOA\r\n\r\nThe NDAA prohibits the use of firefighting foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) after October 1, 2024, with an exception for shipboard use, and immediately prohibits the uncontrolled release of fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) and the use of AFFF in training exercises at military installations. The conference agreement encourages the Secretary of Defense to finalize cooperative agreements with states to address contamination by these substances and authorizes the National Guard to access Defense Environmental Remediation Account funds for the limited purpose of addressing PFOS and PFOA exposure and contamination resulting from National Guard activities in and around National Guard bases.\r\n\r\nDeterring Foreign Influence in Elections\r\n\r\nCounters aggression from Russia and other foreign actors by increasing capabilities to detect Russian activities, including active measures campaigns and illicit financial transactions;\r\nSecures elections from foreign meddling by requiring assessments of Russian cyber threats and influence campaigns, and facilitating information sharing between state, local, and Federal officials;\r\nSupports the IC's role in countering Russian propaganda by creating an independent Social Media Data and Threat Analysis Center;\r\n\r\n\r\nRequires the DNI to designate a national counterintelligence (CI) officer within the National Counterintelligence Security Center (NCSC) to lead election security-related CI matters; and\r\nExpresses Congress's view that WikiLeaks resembles a non-state hostile intelligence service.\r\n\r\nIncreased Oversight of Russian and Chinese Activities\r\n\r\nRequires ongoing notifications of travel by certain Russian Federation personnel in the U.S. and any potential active measures campaigns conducted by those individuals;\r\nRequires reporting on foreign surveillance of U.S. telecommunications networks; and\r\nRequires reporting on Chinese influence campaigns directed at Taiwan, including United States actions to disrupt such operations, as well as reporting on surveillance technologies.\r\n\r\nProtection of IC Supply Chain from Foreign Counterintelligence Threats\r\n\r\nRequires a DNI-created task force to protect IC supply chains from foreign CI risks from Russia, China, and other adversaries;\r\nRequires the IC to account for foreign threats to our infrastructure before entering into foreign intelligence sharing agreements; and\r\nRequires reporting on national security risks from foreign investments.", 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": ["http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=B7778106-2D95-4C30-9B32-F0A13C478327"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.04136997833848, "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"}