U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan

WASHINGTON – Today on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis, the U.S. Senate overrode the President’s veto to pass into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which includes key priorities that Senator Hassan introduced and championed to protect the national security of Granite Staters and all Americans. Bipartisan amendments that Senator Hassan introduced to address drone threats to service members overseas and create a cybersecurity state coordinator in each state are included in the legislation.

“This year’s national defense legislation will strengthen support for all who serve and have served our nation in uniform, and it will also help keep Granite Staters and all Americans safe, secure, and free,” said Senator Hassan. “Members of Congress came together on both sides of the aisle to help pass this bill into law, and I am pleased to have worked across the aisle to help secure critical provisions in the legislation, including to support Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, protect our troops from drones, support veterans’ health care, and bolster cybersecurity. I look forward to continuing to work on bipartisan efforts to protect our national security and ensure that our service members and veterans receive the support that they deserve and have earned.”

New Hampshire Priorities Included in the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act:

Support for Service Members & Military Projects

· Three percent pay raise for all U.S. military personnel

· $160 million for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard dry dock project

· Senator Hassan’s bipartisan provision to better protect service members abroad by improving the Defense Department’s response to threats from small drones, a concern that U.S. military leaders raised with the Senator during her visit to Afghanistan

· Amendment cosponsored by Senator Hassan to ensure that Vietnam War veterans can more easily access care for additional diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure; the measure is based on a bill that Senator Hassan is an original cosponsor of

· Increased funding for a PFAS study at Pease

· Funding for the procurement of 2 Virginia-class submarines, which are maintained and repaired by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

· A provision based on a bill that Senator Hassan cosponsored to report on and assess the implementation of military personal protective gear that is better adapted for female service members

· The establishment of a commission to study and remove all Confederate names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia from Defense Department bases and other assets; this is related to a bill that Senator Hassan previously cosponsored

Cybersecurity & Technology Provisions

· Senator Hassan’s bipartisan provision to establish a cybersecurity state coordinator in New Hampshire and every state

· Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Senator Hassan’s bipartisan provision to help shore up cybersecurity vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure systems

· A provision based on a bill Senator Hassan cosponsored to assess and address the rising threat of deepfakes, which are hyper-realistic, digital manipulations of real content that depict events that did not actually occur

· An amendment that Senator Hassan cosponsored to require a report on the Defense Department’s strategy on Artificial Intelligence standards

Provisions to Address Rise of China

· An amendment cosponsored by Senator Hassan based on a bill she cosponsored that helps spur American-based manufacturing of semiconductors in order to increase competitiveness and decrease reliance on China, which has invested significantly in semiconductor manufacturing

· A measure based on a bipartisan bill Senator Hassan cosponsored, the USA Telecommunications Act, which seeks to encourage and support U.S. innovation in the race for 5G by providing funds to support research and development in Western-based alternatives to Chinese equipment providers Huawei and ZTE

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