Hoyer Statement on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015: 

“I am pleased that the House has passed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2015, critical legislation to support our military that the Congress has never failed to enact before the end of the year.  There are many provisions in this bill that will strengthen our Armed Forces and ensure that our troops have the tools they need to carry out their missions safely and effectively.  It also includes an authorization to train and equip vetted opposition units in Syria as well as Iraqi security forces as they pursue the fight against the terrorist group ISIL that has murdered innocents and brutally suppressed freedoms in the areas it has occupied.

“I continue to have serious concerns about some components of this bill, including the extension of a ban on closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay.  Keeping that facility open both undermines our international standing and frustrates our efforts to achieve fiscal sustainability at home.  I also share many of the concerns expressed by the Administration as well as by House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith that this bill neglects to make the tough choices necessary to get our fiscal house in order, especially with the return of the sequester cuts looming next year.  But it is important to send a compromise defense authorization bill to the President for his signature before many important defense programs expire at the end of the year.  I look forward to working with my colleagues in both parties to address concerns and enhance our defense in the next Congress, and I commend Ranking Member Adam Smith for his tireless work on behalf of our military personnel throughout the process of moving this bill to passage.”