Rep. Whitesides Secures Investments for Local Workforce and Defense Industry, Pushes Government Oversight in Defense Authorization Bill

The Congressman brings millions back to his district's aerospace and defense companies, securing thousands of local jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Last night, Rep. George Whitesides (CA-27) secured several key wins for California's 27th District in the bipartisan FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed out of the House Armed Services Committee. The legislation advances critical priorities for the district, including large investments for thousands of high quality jobs across Northern Los Angeles County, expanded wildfire detection technology to protect our communities, and support for next-generation aerospace manufacturing at Plant 42. The Congressman also successfully advocated for a series of checks on government corruption - taking on insider trading on prediction and energy markets linked to military operations, and investigating political officials living in military housing.

"I'm proud to have secured critical funding for our community in this year's defense bill, including investing in next-generation aircraft built right here in the Antelope Valley, expanding our ability to detect and fight wildfires before they become catastrophes, and delivering real investments in the pay, housing, and health care that our servicemembers and their families deserve," said Rep. Whitesides. "I also fought hard against the overreach we've seen out of this administration and the Secretary of Defense. I'll keep pushing to get corruption out of our government by banning insider trading, standing against the politicization of our military, and defending the free press from unconstitutional restrictions."

Every year, the House Armed Services Committee establishes national defense priorities and directs military spending via the NDAA. Rep. Whitesides' amendments reflect his commitment to lowering the cost of living, creating jobs in his district, supporting workforce development programs, improving our safety and security, and combating the wildfire crisis.

Rep. Whitesides successfully secured the following provisions in the NDAA, including:

• Protecting the FireGuard program, which provides real-time wildfire data to firefighting teams on the ground;
• Enabling FireGuard to procure non-profit and commercial data for the first time, expanding the program's early detection capabilities;
• Piloting the use of unmanned aircraft to detect and fight wildfires at military installations, giving California new high-tech tools to combat catastrophic fires;
• Pushing for the expansion of the B-21 Raider fleet size to bolster local aerospace manufacturing;
• Limiting the use of artificial intelligence in nuclear command and sensitive communications;
• Investigating documented insider trading in prediction and energy markets by Defense Department officials during Operation Epic Fury;
• Streamlining the defense acquisition process to reduce bureaucratic barriers and accelerate the deployment of innovative technology across the military;
• Opening opportunities for Mojave's National Test Pilot School through new training pathways;
• Investigating politically-appointed officials living in housing designated for military members to ensure they are paying fair market rates;
• Enhancing U.S. Air Force threat monitoring through additional research and cooperation with private partners;
• Increasing readiness for countering enemy unmanned underwater vehicles;
• Requiring the Pentagon to report annually on any incidents where AI systems caused death or injury to U.S. servicemembers;
• Protecting American companies from a retaliatory "supply chain risk" designation while operating legally and under contract terms; and
• Identifying at-risk areas for toxic exposure through burn pits for American servicemembers around the world.

Rep. Whitesides helped secure more than $19 billion in federal funding for next-generation aircraft, which support nearly 10,000 jobs across the Antelope Valley and Northern Los Angeles county:

• Over $6.1 billion for the B-21 Raider, Northrop Grumman's next-generation stealth bomber for the U.S. Air Force, which is built at Plant 42 in Palmdale;
• Over $8.5 billion for the Lockheed Martin F-35, whose center fuselage is built by Northrop at Plant 42;
• Over $3.6 billion for the F-15 Eagle, aspects of which have been upgraded at Plant 42;
• Over $915 million for Northrop Grumman's B-2 Spirit, the current strategic stealth bomber in the United States Air Force, which was built in Palmdale and is now upgraded and tested at Plant 42; and
• Over $10 million for continued support for the U-2 at Plant 42.

Rep. Whitesides also supported the following important elements of the NDAA:

• A 3.6% pay raise for all servicemembers;
• Expanded childcare options for military families;
• A Student Internship Program for military childcare providers;
• Comprehensive reporting requirements by the Defense Health Agency as it relates to access to care, military and civilian staffing, and provider readiness;
• Aid to local educational agencies with military-dependent students;
• Improved medical coverage under TRICARE for members of the Reserve Component; and
• Implementation of a roadmap to modernize classified networks.

With the passage of the bill at the full committee level, the NDAA will now proceed to a vote on the House floor later this year.

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