WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made the following statement on South Carolina priorities included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023.

“I’m very pleased that we were able to secure authorizations for a number of South Carolina priorities in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. This makes 62 years in a row that the NDAA has passed. This bill authorizes pay increases for our military, upgrades our national defense, benefits a number of critical South Carolina projects, and eliminates the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which was hurting recruiting and retention. Overall, this legislation is good for our nation’s men and women in uniform.”

Senator Graham worked with South Carolina congressional delegation colleagues to secure authorizations for the following projects:

Total FY23 South Carolina MILCON Authorizations: $91.6 million

• $38.3 million for the Marine Corps Depot Parris Island Recruit Barracks #2.
• $37.6 million for the Marine Corps Depot Parris Island Recruit Barracks #1.
• $10 million for the Shaw Air Force Base Radar Approach Control (RAPCON) Facility to provide safe and orderly air traffic control support and services for aircraft.
• $4.8 million for planning and design to replace the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island Ambulatory Care Center (Dental).
• $900,000 for planning and design to replace the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Fuel Pier.

Total Savannah River Site (SRS) Authorizations: $3 billion, including:

• $1.258 billion for SRS Plutonium Modernization, including the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF).
• $460.3 million for SRS risk management operations.
• $12.137 million for SRS payments in lieu of taxes.

Other South Carolina Priorities:

• Authorizes millions in defense related research and development funding that can benefit academic institutions across the state.
• Provision allowing for the transfer a small portion of Joint Base Charleston land to the city of North Charleston.

South Carolina Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) Projects:

• $165 million authorization for the Lakes Marion and Moultrie regional water supply project.
• $74 million authorization for environmental infrastructure improvements within and around North Myrtle Beach.
• $31 million authorization for environmental infrastructure improvements within and around Myrtle Beach.
• $25 million authorization for wastewater and storm water infrastructure improvements in Charleston.
• $19 million authorization for environmental infrastructure improvements within and around Horry County.
• $7.8 million authorization for Mount Pleasant wastewater and storm water infrastructure improvements.
• $7.4 million authorization for storm water management infrastructure in Beaufort.
• Provision that calls for expedited reimbursement for the Port of Charleston.
• $1.2 billion authorization for the Charleston Peninsula, Coastal Storm Risk Management Project.
• Authorization for the Folly Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Project.
• Provision included for Edisto Beach to receive in-kind credit for work completed on beach groins before its authorized beach project began.
• Provision included that would increase the cost share and cost cap of the existing New Savannah Lock and Dam project to enable more solutions to be considered.
• Authorization for ecosystem restoration and flood risk management in Berkeley County.