Lankford Votes to Support Oklahoma Service Members, Families, Missions

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today voted to support final passage of the Fiscal Year 2023 James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act (FY23 NDAA) for Oklahoma’s military installations and national defense initiatives. The bill passed the Senate in a vote of 83-11.

“This year’s defense bill, appropriately named the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization, makes sure that Oklahoma’s three Air Force Bases—Vance, Altus, and Tinker—have the aircraft and resources to protect us now and in the future, that Ft. Sill has the artillery and training personnel needed to train and equip the next generation of warfighters, and that McAlester Army Ammunition Plant keeps meeting our national defense needs. The bill I supported today gave our service members a well-deserved pay raise and ended the vaccine mandate for our service members. National defense strategy and preparedness is an essential responsibility of Congress, this bill fulfills that responsibility.”

Lankford’s wins in the FY23 NDAA for Oklahoma’s military installations include:

1. Maintains the missions of all of Oklahoma’s military installations and ensures they have the resources they need
2. Provides a pay raise of 4.6 percent for military service members and the Department of Defense civilian workforce
3. Encourages the Department of Defense to form partnerships with several of Oklahoma’s top universities, including the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Tulsa and private industry to invest in Oklahoma’s future innovation in counter UAS and cybersecurity
4. Includes Lankford’s amendment to fully fund the Tulsa VA medical center despite rising construction costs due to Biden’s high inflation
5. Includes millions in science & technology projects that are important to Oklahoma and our military
6. Ensures the Air Force keeps two E-3 AWACS at Tinker Air Force Base for training, rather than retiring the aircraft.
7. Includes $300 million in additional funds to accelerate the E-7 Wedgetail, which will replace the E-3 AWACS at Tinker Air Force Base
8. Requires the Government Accountability Office to issue a report on the Defense Health Agency’s (DHA) oversight over the TRICARE managed care contracts, which will include helpful information on the DHA’s recent decision to cut 15,000 rural, independent pharmacies from its network, which Lankford has fought against for several months.
9. Includes amendment Lankford cosponsored to end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all service members

###