Press Release

Rep. Young Votes For Defense Authorization

Alaskan Congressman Don Young voted yes today on H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. The conference report for H.R. 2647 sets a comprehensive annual defense policy and authorizes budget authority for the Department of Defense (DoD) for Fiscal Year 2010. The legislation authorizes over $550.2 billion for standard operations of the DoD and Department of Energy national security programs, as well as $130 billion for funding ongoing military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. This bill also contains a provision paying out the pensions of about two dozen elderly members of the World War II-era Alaska Territorial Guard.

"Giving our troops the resources they need to be strong and effective is a priority, and this bill will do that," said Rep. Young. "This bill is very important for our military. In this unfortunate time of war, we need to make sure our military families have the funding, the equipment, and the numbers they need to ensure they stay as safe and as taken care of as possible. I am especially pleased that the Alaska Territorial Guard provision allowing the former Guard members to count their service in the Alaska Territorial Guard as part of active military duty remained in this bill; that is incredibly important to those brave servicemen and women and something that the delegation has been working on for a while. This is a good bill that takes care of our military and our veterans and it is one that I am proud to stand behind."