June 2024

Second District Dispatch

Grateful to Serve the Second District

I will continue to work hard every day to keep Americans safe, promote good-paying jobs, and help make our lives and communities stronger.

National Defense Authorization Act

     As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am grateful for the leadership of Chairman Mike Rogers in passing the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Among the national security needs it addresses are support for our nation’s servicemembers & their families, the Savannah River Site, and defense research projects at South Carolina universities.

     Servicemember quality of life concerns are a major cause of low morale and family stress which are undermining recruitment, retention, and military readiness. The FY25 NDAA will improve the quality of life for servicemembers and their families.

     Highlights include:

·       Authorizing a 19.5% pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and supporting a 4.5% pay-raise for all other servicemembers.

·       Authorizing additional funding to build new family housing units and to renovate and build new barracks for servicemembers.

·      Improving pay benefits for Department of Defense (DoD) childcare staff to mitigate staffing shortages and enhancing Congressional oversight of DoD childcare programs.

·      Making it easier for military spouses to transfer professional licenses between states and providing flexibility to DoD to keep military spouses employed when servicemembers change duty locations.

                                               Payment in Lieu of Taxes

     With the Savannah River Site transitioning from an Environment Management to a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) site, there were concerns about PiLT being impacted. During a House Armed Services Committee hearing, I asked NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby if there would be any changes and she testified that everything would remain the same. I am also grateful to have language included in the FY25 NDAA that reaffirms NNSA’s commitment to fund PiLT.

Congressman Joe Wilson with Chairman Mike Rogers and military fellow Major Joshua Jackson after Committee passage of FY25 NDAA. The Congressman and the Major were the first to congratulate the Chairman on the successful, bipartisan NDAA vote of 65-1.

Bidenomics Continue to Harm Families

     Bidenflation is a tax on all Americans, as families continue to struggle, and jobs are destroyed. Average weekly wages are down over four percent, since Biden, while prices have risen nearly 20 percent.

     Reckless spending by liberal Democrats have caused the cost of goods and services to rise. The following are just a few examples since Biden took office:

·       Gasoline is up 56 percent.

·       Eggs are up 44 percent.

·       Baby food and formula are up 30 percent.

·       Electricity is up 29 percent.

·       Butter is up 26 percent.

·       Pet food is up 23 percent.

     My House Republican colleagues and I are fighting on behalf of American families to drive down costs and create jobs.

Service Academy Appointments

     I am grateful to share that high school students from the Second District have secured appointments to U.S. Military Service Academies for their undergraduate education. These appointments include James Bearden from James Island Charter High School, who will attend the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Joseph Bonavilla from Spring Hill High School in Chapin, who will attend the United States Naval Academy. Ava Phelps from Spring Valley High School in Columbia, who will attend the United States Air Force Academy. And, Robert Silverio from Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, who will attend the United States Naval Academy.

     As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, a 31-year veteran, and the proud father of four sons who have served in the military, including a United States Naval Academy graduate, I am grateful for their service to our nation.

     I wish these men and women the best of luck as they continue their academic careers.

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Sincerely,

Joe Wilson
Member of Congress