WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to preserve our defense capabilities and support the men and women of our Armed Forces, the Senate Appropriations Committee today voted 22-8 to approve a bipartisan $594.4 billion fiscal year 2014 Defense Appropriations bill. 

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said the legislation would help reverse some of the most severe impacts of across-the-board spending cuts known as the “sequester” by adding nearly $4.5 billion to the Department of Defense’s budget.  However, Reed says Congress needs to do more to responsibly replace sequestration to help improve our economy and strengthen national security.

“Congress should work together to replace the sequester with balanced solutions that will help create jobs and put our nation on the path to sustainable economic prosperity.  Instead of keeping the sequester in place and forcing workers to stay home, Tea Party Republicans should stop blocking budget negotiations from going forward.  It is time to end sequestration and put more Americans back to work,” said Reed.

Reed, who also serves as the Chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, led the effort to include critical funding for Virginia-class submarines and other key shipbuilding programs.

“I am pleased to have worked closely with Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-MS) to move this defense budget proposal forward,” said Reed.  “This bill provides critical federal funding to help maintain a strong, flexible military while providing critical support for our troops and their families.” 

Submarine manufacturing is a vital part of Rhode Island’s defense industry.  Reed helped ensure the 2014 Defense Appropriations bill includes full funding for the continuation of two Virginia-class submarines.  Last year, Senator Reed prevented a cut in production that was proposed in the President’s Budget request.  This bill adds $227 million to cover the reduction taken by sequestration, thereby eliminating an existing shortfall in the program.  Locking in the two-per-year procurement rate for the Virginia-class submarine program is critical given the cost savings achieved, the efficiencies gained in the production schedule, and the projected shortfall in attack submarines in the next decade.

“Submarines’ unique capabilities for stealth and strike capacity, and their ability to deliver special forces personnel into difficult environments make them an extremely effective force multiplier and deterrent to our adversaries.  And as our strategy focuses more on the Asia Pacific region, it is vital we have a robust submarine fleet,” said Reed.  “This legislation provides full funding for the continuation of the Virginia-class submarine.  The Virginia class submarine is a critical component of our national defense capabilities, and Rhode Island plays an important role in its construction.”

Additionally, the bill provides full funding for the Ohio-class replacement submarine program and the DDG-1000 program.

The Defense Appropriations bill also provides funding to several research and development programs, including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Rapid Innovation Program to aid in technology transition across a broad spectrum of technologies, and the Defense Production Act to build production capacity for critical defense technologies.

To help Rhode Island companies compete, Senator Reed worked to ensure the bill includes an additional $10 million for the Department of Defense’s national Procurement Technical Assistance Program, which will provide Rhode Island’s small businesses with technical assistance to market their products and services to the federal government.

Reed also backed provisions in the bill to provide $3.6 million to help ease the Department of Veterans Affairs claims backlog by accelerating the transfer of DOD health care records and $25 million for DOD to implement the Special Victims’ Counsel Program across all branches of the military in order to provide victims of sexual assault with legal assistance and support.  The bill also includes provisions to ensure that institutions participating in the voluntary military education program operate with transparency and provide quality educational opportunities to service members by prohibiting the use of program funds for advertising and marketing; designating these funds as federal funds for education oversight purposes; and requiring DOD to report on education outcomes measures.  In addition, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study and make recommendations on education service officer staffing ratios and improvements to DOD’s third-party audit process to ensure that institutions are meeting program requirements.

The bill now awaits consideration by the full Senate.  Once it is approved by the Senate, differences between the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives bills will have to be resolved by a conference committee.