Murphy Votes for FY2021 NDAA Conference Report
Press Release
On December 8, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6395, the Mac Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act Conference Report, which funds the military for FY2021. Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) voted in favor of the legislation. The annual defense spending measure now heads to the Senate. The NDAA has passed Congress on a bipartisan basis for 59 consecutive years. The $740.5 billion annual defense bill provides American servicemembers a 3% pay raise and authorizes extra pay for troops in combat zones.
Sec. 519 of the NDAA was introduced earlier this year as the FLIGHT Act, a bill on which Murphy was an original co-sponsor in the House of Representatives. Sec. 519 requires the Secretary of Defense to create pilot programs that support Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps units at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority institutions, to include creating partnerships between military bases and institutions and providing financial assistance for pilot training. Elizabeth City State University, which is in the Third Congressional District of North Carolina, is a flight school and HBCU.
"Anytime I come across a bill that consists of thousands of pages, there are provisions that I disagree with. Although this is not a perfect piece of legislation, I voted for it because it supports our brave men and women in uniform who sacrifice so much for our country daily. From the first day I was sworn in, I have supported our military, particularly our Marines at Camp Lejeune, New River and Cherry Point. It is critical that we continue to rise above politics in support of the military as Congress has done for the past 59 years," said Murphy.
"As a much welcome and added benefit, I am also pleased Elizabeth City State University will directly benefit from this year's NDAA. Sec. 519 of the FY2021 NDAA will create opportunities for African American students to pursue their dreams of becoming pilots. Elizabeth City State does a tremendous job in its mission in getting more minorities involved in aerospace science. I am very pleased the NDAA will aid them in that mission," concluded Murphy.
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