Bill Johnson Applauds National Defense Authorization Act Passage

Statement

Yesterday was a huge win for America's brave men and women in uniform, and our national defense. H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed the House with broad bipartisan support.

This legislation provides essential funding for America's military and their families through Fiscal Year 2018, and ensures our brave warriors are well-equipped to confront growing threats abroad. Specifically, the NDAA provides $700 billion to equip, supply, and train our soldiers, permanently preserves surviving spouse benefits to more than 60,000 military families, and gives our troops their largest pay raise in 8 years. This bill also implements new oversight tools and requires the Department of Defense to complete yearly financial audits to improve transparency, and ensures all defense spending is used efficiently under the requirements set by Secretary of Defense Mattis. As a 26-year veteran of the United States Air Force, there are many reasons to support this legislation, and I proudly voted yes.

I am honored to have served as a conferee to work out the differences between the original House and Senate versions of the bill, and I strongly encourage the Senate to pass this legislation and send it to the President's desk as soon as possible.

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