Leading House Republican Discusses National Defense Authorization Act
Today, Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX), the leading Republican in the powerful House Weighs and Means Committee, released the following statement on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2020:
“For the past 58 years, the National Defense Authorization Act has been a bipartisan bill that fulfills Congress’ most important constitutional duty: provide for the common defense. Unfortunately, this year, House Democrats have let their political agenda hinder our ability to work together to keep the American people safe.
“The proposed NDAA underfunds our national defense and harms previous bipartisan efforts to rebuild our military. Our men and women in uniform deserve a better bill, and I call on my House colleagues to work with the Senate to ensure the U.S. Military has the resources they need to effectively defend our nation.”
The Congressman also provided background: The NDAA as voted on in the House of Representatives:
- $15 billion lower than the Presidents FY2020 request, making it more difficult to maintain our competitive edge against Russia and China.
- Cuts personnel accounts by $1.2 billion, which limits funds for troop pay and housing.
- Fails to include long-standing provisions against transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay (GTMO) to the United States and bans the transfer of additional detainees to GTMO.
- Reverses efforts to modernize our nuclear programs and prohibits the deployment of new low-yield weapons, cuts elements of our nuclear deterrent, and defers essential safety upgrades.
- Includes policies that hinder efforts to secure our southern border, and restricts funding for a border wall, fence, or other physical barriers.
