News release
Rep. George Whitesides, D-Agua Dulce, advocated for key amendments to the annual National Defense Authorization Act that will benefit the 27th Congressional District, according to a news release from the congressman’s office.
The release said the bill would bring “critical federal funding home that will help lower the cost of housing, create local jobs, support education and workforce development programs, and improve wildfire response capabilities.”
Whitesides also secured billions for local servicemembers and defense operations at U.S. Air Force Plant 42, Lockheed’s Skunk Works, Edwards Air Force Base and district contractors, the release said.
“As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am committed to advocating for the men and women working at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 and Lockheed’s Skunk Works, as well as the numerous servicemembers and civilians I represent who work at the Air Force 412th Test Wing and Edwards Air Force Base,” Whitesides said in the release. “During the creation of the bill and through the amendment process, I fought to make sure our district’s voice was prioritized, we were bringing jobs home, and making life safer and more affordable for the families I represent.”
Every year, the House Armed Services Committee authors and passes the NDAA, which establishes defense priorities and directs military spending.
The news release said that, during the committee hearing, Whitesides led on the following amendments that were successfully adopted:
• Bringing down the cost of civilian housing through the Department of Defense’s use of innovative building materials.
• Protecting health care for servicemembers and their families by ensuring the Defense Health Agency is adequately staffed and prepared to meet the needs of their 9.5 million beneficiaries and 700-plus hospitals and clinics in the Military Health System.
• Using autonomous firefighting technology to attack wildfires that are too dangerous for manned aircraft.
• Providing stability and additional resources to the National Guard’s FireGuard program, which detects, tracks, and shares information about the spread of wildfires with local public safety officials.
• Multiple amendments investing in next generation aerospace and maritime capabilities developed by cutting-edge companies in the 27th District.
According to the release, Whitesides also helped secure approximately $10 billion in federal funding for next-generation aircraft from the Antelope Valley, including:
• Over $5.7 billion for the B-21 Raider, Northrop Grumman’s next-generation stealth bomber for the U.S. Air Force, which is built at Plant 42 in Palmdale.
• Over $4 billion for the Lockheed Martin F-35, whose center fuselage is built by Northrop at Plant 42.
• Over $120 million for the F-15 Eagle, aspects of which are upgraded at Plant 42.
• Over $95 million for Northrop Grumman’s B-2 Spirit, the current strategic stealth bomber in the United States Air Force, which was built in Palmdale and is now upgraded and tested at Plant 42.
The release also credited Whitesides with securing provisions in the NDAA to:
• Support local community colleges who want to provide a pathway to students wishing to pursue technical training in the defense industrial base.
• Protect thousands of jobs through the construction of a Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Combat Ready Airman Flight Demonstrator throughout the district.
• Augment hypersonic testing at Mojave’s pioneering Stratolaunch, where over 100 district residents work.
• Invest in greater national security through the district’s defense suppliers, including Techno Planet Inc., Cicoil LLC, and Pacific Testing Laboratories Inc., and their efforts to protect the nation’s GPS satellite network against threats from Russia and China.
• Support U.S. Air Force programs that develop advanced aerospace materials, including a center in Valencia that employs over 100 local residents, in their efforts to reduce health and environmental impacts.
• Invest in the district’s innovation economy through the development of advanced propulsion technology, on which hundreds of local employees work.
• Strengthen the Department of Defense’s efforts to bolster hypersonic defenses, vital work that’s being done at multiple innovative companies in the 27th District.
With the passage of the bill at the full committee level, the NDAA will now proceed to a vote on the House floor later this year.
