Cramer: House Passes National Defense Authorization

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the House of Representatives passed an amended National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) after a compromise was released by the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. The House passed the NDAA with a bipartisan majority in May, however the legislation stalled in the Senate. The Senate is now expected to take up the amended NDAA next week.

“In the face of continued cuts advocated by President Obama to our defense priorities, this legislation contains bipartisan work to find savings which don’t pose the threat of irrevocable damage to our armed forces, or harm to recruitment and retention of military personnel,” said Cramer. “The negotiations came down to the President and the Senate trying to cut personnel benefits by $26.4 billion and the House advocating no personnel benefit cuts. Fortunately the House position prevailed and the vast majority of benefits were restored.”

The amended NDAA contains important provisions for North Dakota:

• Ensures the administration follows through on retaining all 450 ICBM silos in warm status: this facilitates silo maintenance, ease deployment of a follow-on missile, complicates adversary targeting, and is a low-cost means of improving national security
• Prevents the administration’s proposed Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) proposal
• Restores $30 million to Impact Aid, which provides school district funding to compensate for federal tax-exempt property such as Air Force bases, and provides a $70 million down payment for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT)
• Makes additional $103.2 million investment in MQ-9 Reapers: currently the ND Air National Guard flies the MQ-1 Predators which are less capable, and this will help the Guard to receive the more capable MQ-9 sooner
• Includes language supported by Congressman Cramer to prevent the transfer of any National Guard Apache helicopters to the Active force
• Commissions the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the appropriate balance between the Active force and the Guard
• Extends the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) pilot permitting program to improve the processing of applications for permits to drill oil and natural gas wells
  • This pilot project has a proven track record of success in reducing delays and increasing inspection capabilities. The pilot program did not include North Dakota until Congressman Cramer was elected to Congress and worked with Senator Hoeven to successfully pass the BLM Streamlining Act. With today’s legislation, BLM offices seeing the most demand will be able to utilize the program without requiring Congressional action
• Authorizes the Interior Department to hold live internet auctions for onshore oil and gas lease sales
  • This provision was included in previous legislation Cramer supported in the Natural Resources Committee and passed in the full House
• Amends authorities for grazing on public land administered by the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service to reduce environmental review burdens without negatively impacting land health

The NDAA also:

• Restores 80% of the President’s proposed reduction in basic allowance for housing
• Increases the number of embedded behavioral health care providers including psychologists, social workers, curse case managers, and operational psychologists
• Makes authorizations to support defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
  • Includes $3.4 billion for sustaining operations associated with Operation Inherent Resolve and $1.6 billion to train and equip Iraqi and Peshmerga security forces
  • The Iraqi government must share in train and equip costs
  • Extends prior authorization to train and equip moderate Syrian forces