Rep. Mikie Sherrill Of NJ Votes To Hike US Military Budget

NEW JERSEY — Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey was among a group of Democratic Congress members who crossed party lines in support of a $24 billion increase to the U.S. military budget earlier this week.

Sherrill, who represents the state’s 11th congressional district, is a member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, which has backed a Republican-led proposal to increase spending for the Department of Defense.

The committee met to mark up the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday. Lawmakers introduced nearly 780 amendments to the Fiscal Year 2022 spending plan, which forced the debate into the early hours of Thursday morning, CNN reported.

The committee’s vote paved the way for a $740 billion budget for the Pentagon next year – a big bump beyond the $715 billion proposed by President Joe Biden's administration. The Senate Armed Services Committee has already backed that spending level in its version of the bill, Reuters reported.

More than a dozen Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee, including Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, joined with Republicans to approve the measure in a 42-17 vote.

Some New Jersey advocates have argued that increasing the military budget is irresponsible – especially in light of financial strains caused by the coronavirus pandemic – and would rather see taxpayer money spent on social programs or infrastructure improvements.

“There are over 800 U.S. bases around the globe,” organizers of a 2020 rally in North Jersey said. “And yet in America on average every minute four people are served with eviction judgments, 30 million have no access to health care, $1.5 trillion is owed in suffocating student loan debt, and 63 percent of the population cannot afford a $500 emergency repair. The issue of climate change is high on the list of many – deep cuts in the military budget would free up billions of dollars for addressing this crisis.”

• See related article: Protesters Rally In NJ: 'End Wars, Cut Military Budget'

Last year, every New Jersey member of the House voted in favor of the NDAA, except Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (12th District), who voted no. Read More: See How NJ Congress Members Voted On US Military Spending Bill

Sherrill offered a statement in support of the FY 2022 plan, which she said includes provisions for Picatinny Arsenal, the largest employer in the 11th District.

According to Sherrill, in addition to funding the military’s operations and purchasing weapons, the proposed NDAA also includes:

• Measures that would aid the effort to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay
• Increases in funding to mitigate traumatic brain injury and PTSD among special forces
• Provisions that strengthen strategic plans to “address threats posed by China and Russia”
• Provisions that strengthen and expand the domestic supply base
• Extensions to “U.S. support for our partners in Iraq and Syria to fight ISIS”
• Creation of a commission to examine the 20-year war in Afghanistan
• “Robust oversight” over the final months of the war in Afghanistan

Sherrill said that this year’s NDAA “addresses the needs of our men and women in uniform,” and “provides our military the tools it needs to modernize and confront the global threats of tomorrow.”

In particular, the spending plan would have benefits for the Picatinny Arsenal, Sherrill said. They include:

• An additional $10 million for Machine Learning for Army Integrated Fires
• An additional $5 million for Novel Printed Armaments Components
• An additional $5 million for Turret Gunner Survivability and Simulation Environment
• Full funding for the Next Generation Squad Weapon
• Full ($31,623,000) funding the Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon
• Full funding for weapons and munitions development
• Full funding for conventional munitions research
• $117 million above the president’s budget for procurement of Army ammunition
• Robust support for the extended range cannon artillery program

“Whether we're focusing on armaments modernization, SOCOM acquisitions, expansion of our cyber capabilities, the protection of Picatinny Arsenal, the support of our military's workforce, removing sexual assault and harassment cases from the chain of command, or addressing environmental concerns that have long affected our military families, this NDAA will help our military remain the best, most professional fighting force the world has ever seen,” Sherrill said.

“Furthermore, it both addresses modernization challenges and provides greater oversight of the Pentagon's requirements and spending to ensure we are using taxpayer dollars wisely in support of our nation's defense,” the congresswoman said.

The 11th district includes the following municipalities:

Morris County - Boonton Town, Boonton Township, Butler, Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, Denville, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover, Harding, Jefferson, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Madison, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township, Montville, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Morristown Town, Mountain Lakes, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Pequannock, Randolph, Riverdale, Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township and Victory Gardens

Essex County - Bloomfield (split with 10th), Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Livingston, Montclair (split with 10th), North Caldwell, Nutley, Roseland, Verona, West Caldwell, West Orange (split with 10th)

Passaic County - Bloomingdale, Little Falls, North Haledon, Pompton Lakes, Totowa, Wanaque, Wayne and Woodland Park

Sussex County - Byram, Hopatcong, Ogdensburg, Sparta and Stanhope

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