U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and chairman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, released the following statement regarding President Obama's veto of the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) this afternoon:
"It's disappointing to see our commander in chief playing political games at the expense of our men and women in uniform. This year's NDAA was the product of bipartisan compromise and overwhelming support in both the House and Senate. It also meets the budgetary levels requested by the president.
"We live in a dangerous world. As we have seen from the ever-growing list of global problems, the threats are only increasing. Our military needs the authorities contained in this bill to perform its missions and defend our nation. Sadly, the president's objection has nothing to do with protecting our nation -- it is based on a partisan, political demand that more taxpayer dollars be spent on agencies like the EPA and the IRS.
"The federal government has no higher obligation than protecting our nation and providing for our national security. It's time for the president to make this his top priority."