BREAKING: Shaheen Successfully Adds New NH & National Security Provisions to Final Defense Legislation

**A senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Shaheen helps write the annual defense bill every year** 

**Shaheen secures provision to assist those suffering from directed energy attacks, based on her standalone legislation** 

**Provisions announced are in addition to Granite State priorities Shaheen secured during committee markup of the legislation** 

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) –?a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee – issued the following statement after the final text of the fiscal year (FY) 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was released this afternoon. The annual legislation authorizes national defense priorities for FY2022. Both chambers will now move to vote on the legislation, which was negotiated between House and Senate leaders, and then send it to the President to be signed into law. 

“Over the last several months, I’ve worked to ensure the NDAA package responds to the pressing needs of New Hampshire’s families. That’s why addressing PFAS contamination was a top priority for me in negotiations – no family should have to worry about the quality of water running through their taps. I helped establish timelines for PFAS testing and remediation at military installations and secured an additional $15 million to help understand the effects of PFAS exposure through the Pease health impact study I established. This funding comes on the heels of the historic bipartisan infrastructure deal, which I helped to negotiate to deliver the largest single investment to update water infrastructure ever made by the federal government,” said Shaheen. “I’m also glad to share that I successfully worked to include a number of other crucial priorities in the fiscal year 2022 defense bill that benefit both our state and nation, including investments in the future of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, improvements to our government’s interagency response to directed energy attacks that target U.S. government personnel, a commission to examine the Afghanistan war, crucial security assistance to help our Ukrainian partners resist an increasingly aggressive Russia and much more. This defense bill speaks to the most urgent challenges we face as a state, nation and global community, and I look forward to seeing Congress move expeditiously so we can swiftly get this legislation over the finish line.” 

Below is a summary of the new provisions Senator Shaheen successfully added to the final FY2022 NDAA, which come in addition to numerous measures she secured during committee markup of the bill in July that were retained in the final bill and include, as noted above, an additional $15 million for the PFAS health impact study Shaheen previously established, a comprehensive amendment to address PFAS exposure at military installations, $475 million for the multi-mission dry dock project at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and much more. 

NEW SHAHEEN PRIORITIES ADDED TO FY2022 NDAA 

• Improving interagency response to directed energy attacks: Building off provisions Senator Shaheen secured in the committee-approved bill, Shaheen successfully fought to add her bipartisan measure with Senator Collins that will require the President to designate a senior national security official to organize a whole-of-government response and direct the heads of agencies involved in the interagency response to designate a senior official to be responsible for their agency’s response to directed energy attacks. Shaheen’s provision is based on her standalone legislation, which she introduced earlier this year. 
• Prioritizing submarines maintained at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard – Senator Shaheen joined Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) on a measure that requires a report on material readiness of the Virginia-class submarines, which are maintained at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. A senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Shaheen successfully helped procure two additional submarines during committee consideration of the defense bill. 
• Enhancing oversight of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program to invest in the future of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and other U.S. shipyards – Senator Shaheen worked with Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) to secure a provision that would enhance oversight of the Department of Defense’s implementation of the 20-year effort to modernize the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the Navy’s three other public shipyards. 
• Establishing a commission to examine the war in Afghanistan: Senator Shaheen helped secure a provision led by Senator Duckworth (D-IL) to establish a nonpartisan, independent commission to examine every aspect of war in Afghanistan, including the political and strategic decisions that transformed a focused military mission into a vast, nation-building campaign that became the longest war in U.S. history. The amendment is based on standalone legislation, which Shaheen cosponsored.  
• Coverage of eating disorder treatments under TRICARE: The final text includes a provision based off Shaheen’s bipartisan legislation with Senator Tillis, the SERVE Act, to expand eating disorder coverage under TRICARE for U.S. service members and their families.  

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