South Dakota’s congressional delegation is celebrating several provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act.
The package includes more than $2.5 billion for the B-21 bomber, which will get housed at Ellsworth Airforce Base in western South Dakota.
The NDAA authorizes $2.3 billion for additional procurement of the nuclear capable B-21 Raider, which took its first flight earlier this year.
The Air Force estimates each plane will cost roughly $700 million. Six are currently under construction.
Republican US Senator Mike Rounds says this year’s appropriation is to pay the B-21 contractor, Northrup Grumman, for more planes.
“Right now, we have directed that they plan on building a hundred of them,” Rounds said. “But there isn’t a single individual that we can find that doesn’t think we’re going to need way over a hundred of these aircraft over the next thirty years, or so.”
The massive, bipartisan bill includes an additional $395 million for construction at Ellsworth Airforce Base to prepare for the plane’s arrival. Those dollars come on top of the $1.5 billion already appropriated for construction. The plane is expected to arrive in western South Dakota some time in the mid-2020's.
The NDAA also includes $5.25 million to complete construction at the National Guard Readiness Center in Sioux Falls.
Not included in the NDAA is the prohibition on ag land purchases to people from China, North Korea, Iran and others. That’s despite strong support from the delegation and Republican Gov. Kristi Noem.
Still, Representative Dusty Johnson is celebrating the NDAA’s passage. He says the ag land purchase provision got lost in the conference committee between the House and Senate.
“Youi really have four people at the table—the democrat and republican heads of the armed services committees,” Johnson said. “In general, unless you can get three of those four people to keep something in the bill it falls out. There must have been a couple of people who were uncomfortable with that provision."
Johnson says he’s going to continue to push similar legislation.
President Biden is expected to sign the $886 billion-dollar package.
