WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, today issued the following statement regarding provisions contained in the House's FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act.

"The decision to attach an extreme land grab to the NDAA is a disservice to members of the Armed Forces," said Sen. Cruz. "With the military's shrinking budget, it is offensive that this bill would be used to fund congressional pork. And, at a time where jobs are scarce and the federal government has removed billions of acres of land from productive use, Congress should not be restricting more than a half-million new acres. The House and Senate should reject this attempt by self-serving politicians to exploit the men and women of the military to serve their special interests."

Non-security, extraneous provisions in the new version of the NDAA include:

· 250,000 acres of new wilderness designations
· 400,000 acres withdrawn from productive use (for energy, mining, timber, etc.)
· Fifteen new national park units or park expansions
· Eight new studies for national parks
· Three new wild and scenic river designations, 3 new studies for additional designations
· Study to begin the National Women's History Museum

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