As the U.S. House of Representatives approved an annual defense policy bill Friday that is loaded with conservative priorities, the Senate Armed Services Committee unveiled its version of the defense budget.
The Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act includes more than $800 million for Virginia military construction projects. The plan overall provides a 4.5% pay raise for military personnel, and an additional 1% pay raise for junior enlisted service members with paygrades E-1 through E-3. It includes a 2% pay raise for Department of Defense civilian employees.
“This is a very good (raise) at a time when our service members and their families need it,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Friday during a virtual news conference. “We are really happy we were able to do that and it was extremely bipartisan.”
The committee passed the bill Thursday by a 22-3 vote. It authorizes $923 billion in spending . It will now head to the full Senate.
Among the military construction projects it would fund in Hampton Roads: $81 million for a dormitory at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, $54 million for dry dock modernization at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and $52 million for long weapons storage and $47 million for a conventional prompt strike test facility, both at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown.