House of Representatives Passes National Defense Authorization Act, Including Cleaver’s Amendment to Promote Diversity in Appraisal Industry

(Washington, D.C) – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7900, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, with U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) voting in favor of the legislation. The bipartisan bill would authorize $839 billion in discretionary spending for national defense for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), give a much-needed pay raise to service members and the Department of Defense civilian workforce, make crucial investments in America's global network of alliances and partnerships to combat challenges from China and Russia, fund research and development needed to ensure the United States is prepared to confront challenges of the future, and more. The bill will now go to the Senate to be taken up for debate.

"Every year Congress must pass a national defense funding bill, and every year I try to weigh the pros and cons of the legislation to determine whether or not I can, in good conscience, support the Pentagon's budget. While there are certainly components of this legislation that I would prefer to cut out, Congress is about compromise and consensus—and I believe this year's NDAA is a fair compromise that provides our troops and their families with a substantial pay raise and additional benefits, reauthorizes defense programs critical to our national security, and gives America and her allies the strength and flexibility needed to face any challenge that should arise in the coming years," said Congressman Cleaver. "As this legislation heads to the Senate for additional debate, I will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion to ensure our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to defend the nation."

Additionally, included in this year's NDAA is an amendment sponsored by Congressman Cleaver to promote greater diversity in the appraisal industry, which has acknowledged a history of bias. Cleaver's amendment would help to diversify the appraisal industry, which is approximately 98% White, by authorizing a $50 million federal grant program to promote diversity and inclusion in the appraisal profession through scholarships, training and education, implicit bias training, and more. The legislative language for the amendment comes from Cleaver's Real Estate Valuation Fairness and Improvement Act, a bill he introduced in April 2021.

"For over a year now, I have pushed my colleagues in Congress for action to address the extremely troubling and long history of bias in the appraisal industry, which has helped contribute to homes in majority-Black neighborhoods being valued at roughly half the price as homes in neighborhoods with no Black residents," said Congressman Cleaver. "I'm incredibly grateful to my colleagues in Congress for adopting my amendment to help diversify the appraisal industry, helping to combat discrimination in the industry and, hopefully, ensure Black homeowners receive fair value for their homes. While there is still work to be done to ensure the rest of my Real Estate Valuation Fairness and Improvement Act is signed into law, this is a critical step in the right direction."

Provisions from the FY23 NDAA that were supported by Rep. Cleaver include:

• Key pay raises for service members and their families, including a 4.6% pay raise for service members and civilian personnel, 2.4% inflation bonuses for service members earning less than $45,000 per year, and a $15 per hour minimum wage for workers on federal service and construction contracts. The legislation also adds $750 million for commissary to help reduce costs for servicemembers, creates a victims compensation fund to ensure survivors of interpersonal crimes have the financial resources they need, and increases access to behavioral health services for servicemembers and their families;
• Support for HBCUs and other minority serving institutions, with more than $111 million allocated for research activities at HBCUs—triple the President's budget request—and the establishment of a pilot program to increase research capacity at minority-serving institutions;
• Critical Investments in science and technology competitiveness, including $275 million in additional funding for next-generation capabilities in hypersonics, electronic warfare, artificial intelligence, and software;
• Supply chain security, including an assessment of dual-use technology that the Chinese Communist Party might exploit and improving risk management in Department of Defense supply chains;
• Resources for America's allies and partners, including $1 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, $4 billion for the European Deterrence Initiative, and more than $7 billion in funding for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative;
• Requiring the Department of Defense to address contamination associated around military installations by expanding the list of non-essential items containing PFAS that the Department is prohibited from procuring for use within the Department, requiring the Department to send a list of essential uses for PFAS, and reporting on its progress in minimizing the use of certain non-essential PFOS and PFOA containing items;
• Improving Quality of Life and Innovation Infrastructure for Servicemembers and their Families by adding $1.7 billion to address poor and failing infrastructure, such as barracks and child development centers, and creating a required percentage of investment for sustainment of child development centers to address poor and failing facilities;
• Extending the authorization of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) program as well as the deadline for those who qualify to apply for SIVs. The bill would also allow Afghans wounded during their service to the U.S. government to apply for the SIV program even if they have not met the one-year minimum employment threshold; and more.

"One of my highest priorities as the Representative of the Fifth Congressional District of Missouri is the safety and security of our communities and the men and women who have chosen to serve our nation in uniform," said Congressman Cleaver. "I believe this year's NDAA gives America a comprehensive security strategy to defend our citizens and the resources needed to implement it—which is why I was proud to support the bill. As we move forward, I will continue to engage with my colleagues in Congress to ensure we get the best defense funding bill that compromise will allow."

Official text of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is available here.