Congressman Veasey Votes in Favor of FY17 NDAA

Statement

Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, member of the House Armed Service Committee (HASC), released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 4909, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017, a bill that passed with a 277-147 vote:

"I voted in favor of H.R. 4909, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, in order to protect our national security interests and to ensure we fulfill our promises to our service members and their families. Although there is room for improvement within the current legislation, there are a number of key aspects to this measure that support defense programs critical to the DFW Metroplex. However, we still fail to make some of the difficult choices necessary to address the financial constraints put in place by House Republicans' 2013 budgetary spending caps under the sequester.

The final bill included funding for eleven additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircrafts, an increase that was accepted at my request, and an additional $189 million for the continued production of the V-22 Osprey that will equip our troops with the latest technology and strengthen our local economy.

I am deeply disappointed that my House Republican colleagues, through a backdoor procedural tactic, ultimately included language that will continue the cycle of discrimination towards the LGBT community and overturned the decision to treat women equally in the Selective Service. The defense bill at hand should focus on how to keep our country safe, not threaten existing federal non-discrimination provisions protecting against unfair treatment based on race, religion, sex, pregnancy, and more.

In addition, the House Rules Committee did not include my amendment that would ask the Defense Department to evaluate how the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and other deferred action programs would affect military recruiting efforts. This amendment would have provided an additional pool of qualified candidates to join our military and to increase our nation's military readiness.

Although I voted in favor of the measure, I strongly believe that changes must be made prior to sending the bill to the President desk. Sequestration can no longer be the law of the land when ensuring our nation's military readiness. House Republicans plan to utilize $18 billion dollars from the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account are an irresponsible substitute for funding the shortfall in the Pentagon's budget. As we face a time of increased terrorism across the globe, we must provide long-term funding to our military without adversely affecting military readiness, protect the men and women fighting abroad, and provide salary and health care benefits to members of the armed services, veterans, and their families.

In the coming months, it is my hope that the House and the Senate can come together to provide stable funding for our national defense, and avoid an unnecessary crisis at the end of the year to ensure the safety of the American people."

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