Contact: Bernadette Green, (202) 225-2476

(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) today took a step towards a stronger military by voting in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2018 (H.R. 2810).

“Both sides of the aisle agree that supporting our men and women in uniform is vitally important,” said Grothman. “Our troops put their lives at risk every single day. They deserve to have operating and functional equipment, strong allies and financial security for their families.

“Last week, I spoke with a young woman in my district who served in the Air Force. She told me that at times the Air Force had planes that didn’t take-off because the military couldn’t afford it. Military members have also told me about planes that were grounded and ships that didn’t sail because money wasn’t available for the parts needed to make repairs.

“While the NDAA isn’t perfect, it will work towards fixing these types of problems to make our military more efficient and keep our troops safe.”

The NDAA passed the House by a vote of 344-81.

Background

The NDAA authorizes $696.1 billion to support our military. The funds provide additional aircraft, ships, vehicles and other resources identified by military officials as increasing our military’s end strength.

The NDAA also includes pay raises for our troops; increases funding for the European Deterrence Initiative to support our European allies in deterring Russia; provides $150 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative; supports Israel by providing funds for the Iron Dome and other defense measures; and streamlines bureaucracy at the Pentagon.

Two Republican amendments that were introduced and supported by the House Armed Services Committee Chairman, including an amendment to better assess extremist terrorist messaging, would have made this bill stronger, but were unfortunately voted down.

Click here for more information about the NDAA.

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