Washington, December 2, 2016 - Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-14) released the following statement after voting in favor of the Conference Report to accompany S. 2943, legislation that fixed differences between the House and Senate versions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, annual legislation that authorizes funding for the Department of Defense:

“To effectively protect our nation, we must have the strongest, most advanced military in the world. That means recruiting the best and brightest to serve in the Armed Forces and honoring their commitment and sacrifice. Today we honored their service by passing legislation authorizing a well-deserved pay raise. After more than a decade of continuous combat operations, our servicemembers and their families have endured long deployments, trying circumstances and many sleepless nights. While we can never fully repay these brave men and women, this raise helps honor their service.  

“The bill also strengthens Georgia’s contribution to our national defense by prohibiting the retirement of a critical radar system and aircraft, known as the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), which is stationed at Robins Air Force Base. Additionally, the bill authorizes more funding for cyber defense, including for the Army Cyber Command missions located at Fort Gordon. Finally, it authorizes a study on the possibility of restarting production of the F-22 Raptor, which would likely be manufactured in Marietta, Georgia.”

S. 2943 passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 375 to 34. The National Defense Authorization Act has been passed on an annual basis for more than 50 straight years.

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