Washington, D.C. – House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) released the following statement on House passage of S. 2943, the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act:
“As elected officials, we have the great honor and responsibility of supporting our men and women in uniform. This legislation provides the resources, material, and pay our military needs to fight and win. Ultimately, security is our number one priority. By funding a pay raise for our military personnel, replenishing their munitions, modernizing their facilities, and providing for increased readiness, we’ve provided the resources necessary so our fighting forces have the best and nothing less in training, on base, and on the battlefield. This legislation also approves funding for counterterrorism operations abroad and continued deterrence so that Americans can be confident that our country is safe. We’ve also continued to stop President Obama’s misguided attempts to close Guantanamo Bay by yet again blocking the transfer of any detainees to American soil.
“Finally, this bill provides relief for California Guardsmen inadvertently caught up in a bonus scandal. We are establishing a quick and fair process to judge cases that places the burden of resolving these problems completely on the Department of Defense, rather than on the soldier who innocently relied on recruiters. We owe our veterans a debt, not the other way around. This bill is a win for our troops and a win for America. The Senate should pass this bill and it should be signed into law as soon as possible.”