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House Passes 2009 Defense Authorization Bill
05/23/08
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Continuing his fight to better provide for West Virginia’s troops and veterans, U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) cast his vote late Thursday in support of H.R. 5658, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, that will strengthen our nation’s military readiness and support American service members and their families. “America has the finest military in the world, and West Virginians have a proud record of service in the Armed Forces,” said Rahall. “Today we passed a bill that honors the great service and sacrifice made by our brave military men and women and provides them with the better protection, better health care, and better pay that they deserve.” To restore military readiness after six years of troop deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 2009 Defense Authorization Bill authorizes $2 billion for unfunded readiness initiatives, including $650 million for the improvement of military barracks and $800 million for National Guard and Reserve equipment.
For our troops in the field, the bill dedicates substantial resources to improve force protection, including an additional $2.6 billion for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, which have been found to dramatically reduce the casualties caused by improvised explosive devices. Over $783 million is also provided for body armor and $947 million for the production of up-armored Humvees. “To further meet the needs of our military during this prolonged period of war, we must not forget the military families—the husbands, wives, and children of our servicemen and women who often suffer during long and repeated deployments,” said Rahall. “This bill pays special attention to the families of service members and includes provisions to help them adjust to the hardships of moving from base to base and raising a family while their loved one is serving abroad.”
To this end, the bill includes a 3.9 percent pay raise for all military service members and extends prohibitions on increased premiums and co-payments for the TRICARE program and pharmacy user fees, saving military families billions of dollars in out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Provisions also include funding for additional suicide prevention efforts, family support programs, and tuition assistance and training opportunities for military spouses. “It is our duty to prepare and protect our men and women in uniform,” Rahall said. “This legislation will ensure that our troops are taken care of, both on and off the battlefield.”
The 2009 Defense Authorization Bill was approved by the House of Representatives on a vote of 384 – 23 and must pass the Senate before being sent to the President to be signed into law.
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