Fitzpatrick Statement on Passage of National Defense Authorization Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8) released the following statement Thursday regarding the House passage of the Carl Levin and Howard P. ‘Buck’ McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 [H.R. 3979]:

The National Defense Authorization Act is considered one of the must-pass bills every year. Knowing that we must pass this bill, the House started its work early this year and passed the bill in May with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. We did our job with eight months to spare.

But the Senate, true to form, failed to consider either this bill or its own version on the floor. Now, once again, Congress is forced to act against a deadline – governance by crisis. Failure to pass this bill could jeopardize our troops and national security and now it's a race against the clock when it did not have to be this way.

Because we were forced to negotiate this bill at the last minute, and missing our deadline is not an option, we were left with a false choice: Stick to our guns with the House passed version---which protected our troops from any benefit cuts or go with the President and Senator Reid's plan which would have cut troop benefits even further. Had the Senate done their job and legislated, we would not be in this position. There are plenty of savings we could find within the DOD that don't require cutting benefits.

Furthermore, I have concerns that this bill includes authorization for funding the war against ISIS and for training "moderate" Syrian fighters.

Votes relating to the use of our military in conflict should be separate from a must-pass bill like the National Defense Authorization Act. Members of this Chamber should not be forced to decide whether to fund and support our troops and accept this war funding language, or vote against the whole bill, thereby jeopardizing our troops and other critical national security programs.

Congress has the power of the purse. We cannot hand over money to this President to wage war while simultaneously disclaiming our approval of his actions. We need to act with one clear voice by giving this an up or down vote. I have written a letter (attached) to the president explaining these concerns, clarifying that the authorization for funds in this legislation does not free him from the obligation to seek an authorization for the use of military force, and urging him to confirm when he plans on presenting that request to Congress.

While this legislation has flaws, it was important for the House to act. It is my hope that the harmful cuts can be replaced, and a more collaborative military strategy established.

###

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents Pennsylvania’s 8th district which includes all of Bucks County as well as a portion of Montgomery County. He serves as the Vice Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.