IAM Advocacy Results in Major Funding for Machinists Built Programs in the 2022 NDAA

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has passed and been signed into law by President Biden. The legislation totals $768 billion for national defense programs, including extensive funding for IAM-built programs.

“The Machinists Union is the largest defense labor union in the United States and we tirelessly fought for all of the Machinists Union priorities included in this bill,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “This act will go a long way to ensuring our members and their families have a stable future. The legislation will also provide much-needed wage increases for our military men and woman while expanding their healthcare benefits, parental leave and in-home child care.

Thanks to the IAM’s lobbying efforts, the 2022 NDAA authorizes funding for the following IAM- built and maintained programs:

•  85 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters
• 12 F-18 Super Hornets
• 4 C-130J Super Hercules
• 17 F-15 Eagles
• 14 KC-46 Tankers
• Two P-8 Poseidons
• Three DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class Destroyers
• Two Virginia-class Attack Submarines
• Robust funding for ramp up of Columbia-class Ballistic Submarine program

Other highlights include:

• Renews, expands and improves oversight into domestic content in critical defense acquisition programs.
• Supports Administration efforts to increase public availability of Department of Defense reporting on waivers of certain domestic preference requirements.
• Establishes strong, recurring oversight mechanisms to detect and deter egregious violations of domestic preference laws.
• Improves the legal framework to mitigate risk in critical defense supply chains and across the broader acquisition process, using leading-edge digital tools, technology, and approaches to enhance supply chain transparency.
• Tightens restrictions on acquisitions of certain printed circuit boards for which supply chains may be susceptible to interference by the Chinese government.

The law also authorizes $27.8 billion for nuclear weapons activities allotted for the Department of Energy and fully funds the Department of Defense budget for the National Security Launch Program.

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