Fong Secures Three Amendments in House-passed National Defense Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that strengthens America's national defense, invests in our military installations, and delivers for the men and women who serve this nation. Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) voted in support of the bill and successfully secured three amendments directly benefiting the defense community of California's 20th Congressional District.

"From a historic pay raise for our service members to investing in advanced defense technology while cutting nearly $30 billion in wasteful programs, this bill ensures America remains the strongest, most capable military force in the world," said Congressman Fong. "I secured three critical amendments that honors those we lost at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), ensures those at Edwards AFB have the healthcare resources they need, and expands our nation's aerospace testing capabilities by exploring a potential supersonic corridor connecting the airspace supporting NAWS China Lake, Edwards AFB, and Fort Irwin to Point Mugu's Sea Range. Importantly, this bill also advances critical facility projects at NAS Lemoore and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Rocket Lab at Edwards AFB. Our community is the backbone of American defense and aerospace innovation, and I will always fight to make sure it has the resources it needs."

"These amendments provide critical support for Kern County's aerospace and defense sector, honoring those lost in a tragic incident, advancing efforts to address healthcare access, and enhancing our flight test capabilities," said Justin Salters, California lead at the Griffiss Institute. "We appreciate Rep. Fong's continued leadership and commitment to accelerating innovation in Kern County and supporting our base communities."

"Establishing a connection between the R-2508 Airspace and the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division Point Mugu Sea Test Range would establish one of the nation's most capable, integrated, and urgently required supersonic test corridors," said Stephen Farmer, Executive Director of China Lake Alliance. "This corridor would enable government and industry to conduct more intricate, efficient, and realistic testing. The development, testing, and delivery of longer-range, supersonic weapons are essential to counter our most formidable foreign threats. The absence of this corridor is hindering the timely acquisition of this crucial capability that is urgently needed by our military. Furthermore, this corridor would expand opportunities for innovation within California's aerospace and defense ecosystem."

The FY2027 NDAA includes three amendments authored by Congressman Fong:

• Amendment 136: Honoring the Edwards AFB B-52 Crash Victims
  • Honors the eight heroes lost in the tragic B-52 crash at Edwards AFB last month. Directs the Department of War to brief Congress on the crash.
    • Last month, Rep. Fong led a moment of silence on the House floor to honor those who lost their lives in the plane crash at Edwards AFB. You can find more information here.
• Amendment 137: Medical and Safety Resources Study at Edwards AFB
  • Directs a comprehensive study of medical and safety resources at Edwards AFB to ensure the workforce, including military servicemembers, DOW civilians, and contractors, have what is needed to operate safely and effectively.
• Amendment 135: R-2508 Complex and Point Mugu Sea Range Airspace Study
  • Directs a study of supersonic airspace connectivity between the R-2508 Airspace Complex and the Point Mugu Sea Range. Together, these ranges encompass over 56,000 square miles of world-class testing capacity. Better integration between them would expand test capabilities for both military and commercial aerospace, keeping America at the cutting edge of defense innovation. The R-2508 Airspace is home to Edwards AFB, NAWS China Lake, Fort Irwin, and is adjacent to the Mojave Air and Space Port.
    
    

Additionally, the FY2027 NDAA advances two significant military construction projects that strengthens the mission of NAS Lemoore and the AFRL Rocket Lab at Edwards AFB:

• NAS Lemoore: $155,939,000 for the Strike Fighter Center of Excellence Pacific
  • Secures additional authorization to build the Strike Fighter Center of Excellence at NAS Lemoore, providing cutting-edge training facilities for Navy personnel to safely handle and load ordinance on Strike Fighter aircraft. This builds on $55,542,000, which was included in the FY26 NDAA for this facility.
• Edwards AFB: $4,500,000 to Construct Vehicle Search Area at the AFRL Rocket Lab, Edwards Air Force Base
  • Secures authorization to construct a dedicated Vehicle Search Area at the AFRL Rocket Lab Gate Entry Control Point (ECP) at Edwards AFB. This project will strengthen installation security, improve access control, and support the base's critical research and development mission.

• Historic Pay Raise for Servicemembers
  • Provides a 5-7% pay raise for all servicemembers, supporting quality of life improvements, along with improved housing, education, and access to childcare.
• Revitalizing the Defense Industrial Base
  • Expands U.S. production capacity, unleashes private sector investment, opens the door to new and innovative defense entrants, reduces needless regulations, and creates thousands of skilled jobs for Americans.
• Restoring Lethal Capabilities
  • Rebuilds depleted stockpiles by expediting the production and acquisition of munitions and key warfighting capabilities, and accelerates new technologies including quantum computing, hypersonics, and autonomous systems.
• Peace through Strength
  • Invests to maintain a strong U.S. posture, strengthens nuclear deterrence, expands missile defense, and targets resources to counter adversaries.
• Implements President Trump's Agenda
  • Advances over 65 of President Trump's Executive Orders and Legislative Proposals, fully authorizing his top defense priorities.
• Eliminating Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
  • Cuts nearly $30 billion in wasteful programs, stands up a new task force to eliminate fraudulent payments, and requires a full and clean DOW audit within 24 months.
    
    

The NDAA passed 216-212 with bipartisan support. The bill now advances to the Senate for consideration.

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