As both houses of Congress work to resolve differences in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) on Nov. 13 urged members of the U.S. House of Representatives to get on board and quickly pass the bipartisan measure.
“I don’t understand why the House will not come to the table and pass something that we have successfully passed for every year of my life,” said Sen. Tillis, chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
“I hope that my colleagues will continue to come together and pass this bipartisan legislation,” he added. “It’s within reach and absolutely an expectation of every member of Congress to show our men and women in uniform respect by doing our job.”
If enacted, S. 1790 would authorize FY 2020 appropriations and policies regarding the military activities of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), military construction, and the national security programs of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
S. 1790 also would authorize appropriations and policies regarding military personnel; compensation and other personnel benefits; health care; and acquisition policy and management, among numerous other provisions.
“We owe it to the men and women in uniform and we owe it to every American to understand what’s at stake if we all of a sudden slide for a year while our adversaries continue to gain ground,” Sen. Tillis said.
For example, Sen. Tillis said items that could fall by the wayside without bill approval include a 3.1 percent pay raise for military personnel; provisions related to military housing; provisions ensuring that military spouses get employment opportunities as quickly as possible; and steps to prevent military sexual assault, among others.
The legislation also includes provisions championed by Sen. Tillis, including improvements to his home state’s military installations following Hurricane Florence, which caused over $3.5 billion in damage.
“Fort Bragg is still trying to recover from a hurricane that happened about 2.5 years ago,” the senator pointed out. “There are authorizations in there to make sure that we can rebuild these facilities.”