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U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, recently joined her colleagues in advancing the Fiscal Year 2024 Defense Appropriations Act, which provides a total of $831.3 billion in discretionary funding to strengthen military readiness, combat illegal drug trafficking, modernize our defense industrial base, advance munitions procurement, and support service members and their families.
Britt secured a number of key priorities for Alabama in the bill, including $645 million in funding that directly supports the defense communities in every corner of the state. This funding will create and sustain 21st Century jobs ranging from research and development in hypersonics, to direct energy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. As part of this funding, Britt secured hundreds of millions of dollars for Abrams tank restoration at Anniston Army Depot.
Additionally, she partnered with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, to invest robust funding to restore key missile inventories.
“I will always fight to ensure our military remains the best trained, equipped, and resourced in the world. This legislation provides critical funding to support our armed forces and strengthen our modern national defense capabilities, and it recognizes the importance of capabilities, synergies, and installations in the great state of Alabama that vitally contribute to keeping our homeland safe, strong, and free,” Britt said. “I’m proud to support efforts that put the security of hardworking American families first and ensure that we achieve peace through strength, especially in light of continued aggression from foreign adversaries such as the Chinese Communist Party, Russia, and Iran.”
The FY2024 Defense Appropriations Act now moves to the full Senate for consideration. This year, the Appropriations Committee advanced all 12 appropriations bills through regular order for the first time in five years.
The Defense Appropriations Act funds secured by Britt are in addition to the $434 million in military construction funds she advanced as part of the FY2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. In total, she has secured nearly $1.1 billion in defense and military funding for Alabama her first year in office.
