Washington, D.C.—Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued the following statement after the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013. The bill was approved by a vote of 98 to 0.

“I applaud my colleagues for supporting our men and women in uniform as they risk their lives around the globe to defend us. I am pleased this bill provides our service members a well-deserved pay raise and enhances our efforts to keep them safe on the battlefield from threats such as improvised explosive devices. This bill will enable our Armed Forces to continue to take the battle to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Just as importantly, it keeps Democrats’ promises by supporting President Obama’s plan to bring our troops home from Afghanistan.

“While there are still some concerns with provisions in this bill, and particularly in its House counterpart, I commend Senators Levin and McCain for working to address many of them, and I expect the remaining issues to be resolved in conference.”