Blog

A Much Improved NDAA

Washington, D.C., December 12, 2019

Back in July, I was quite upset over the House’s version of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This legislation authorizes funding for the U.S. Department of Defense. While some parts of the NDAA were good, Democrats unfortunately baked several “poison pills” into the House’s version.

For example, they sought to use the NDAA to remove our current prohibition on transferring terrorist detainees at Gitmo to U.S. soil, and tie the President's hands when it comes to the protection of our southern borders. Additionally, it would not have adequately funded our nuclear arsenal, particularly the low-yield nuclear weapons that are arguably more of a strategic threat to our enemies. These were a few of the reasons that I was strongly opposed to the House’s version of the NDAA this past summer. (In fact, no Republican voted for it.)

Fortunately, the Senate’s version of the NDAA was much more responsible. It passed that chamber with overwhelming bi-partisan support. From there, a conference committee went to work ironing out the differences between the House and Senate versions. Ultimately, both chambers need to agree on the same language for a bill to pass.

I’m happy to report that many of the ill-advised provisions Democrats included in the House’s version have been stripped out. Last night I voted in favor of adopting the conference committee’s final version of the NDAA. It’s not a perfect bill but is significantly better than where we were in July. Several highlights include:

✔ 3.1% pay raise for our troops
✔ Funds programs to modernize our nuclear weapons
✔ Establishes Space Force as an official 6th branch of our military
✔ Provides an end to the irresponsible “Widows Tax” that I wanted to see repealed
✔ Provides funding for next-generation weapons, including aircraft and naval vessels

National defense will always be the federal government's most important responsibility, and I’m glad we’ve reached a good place with this bill.