WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Darin LaHood (R-IL) today voted in favor of the Conference Report for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2020. The bill, which funds the Department of Defense, passed the House with a vote of 377-48.
“The NDAA passed today will make America safer, give our men and women in uniform the resources they need and deserve, and send a clear message to our adversaries around the globe,” said Rep. LaHood. “We face ever-evolving 21st-century threats, and this bill makes certain that our military personnel get the support they need. The decades of support for this annual bill show that we all have a mutual duty and desire to support our troops and their efforts to keep Americans safe at home and abroad. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that both 182nd in Peoria and 183rd in Springfield receive the appropriate funding and that the United States continues to have the strongest military around the world.”
Background
- The Conference Report authorizes $738 billion in defense funding, and provides a 3.1% percent pay-raise for our troops, the largest increase in a decade.
- The FY20 NDAA provides the resources to continue to rebuild readiness, advance modernization of the nuclear triad, develop emerging technologies, enhance missile defense, and confront our adversaries.
- $500 million for US-Israel missile defense cooperation, continues funding the European Defense Initiative, and authorizes $300m for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
- The bill does not include any prohibitions on funding a border wall nor restrictions affecting the counterdrug programs that construct fences along the border to block drug smuggling corridors.
- The bill provides up to 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave for the Defense Department, Intelligence Community, and across the federal government.
- The bill establishes the United States Space Force as the sixth branch of the military
- The Space Force will be a streamlined, 21st century military service with minimal bureaucracy, and enhance security and stability in space.
- The bill includes a three-year phased repeal of the Military Widow’s Tax.
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