Thursday morning, following a 14-hour debate, the House Armed Services Committee voted for passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019.
The NDAA annually authorizes Department of Defense operations.
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, voted for the bill.
“The House Armed Services Committee’s yearlong national security policy process culminated in yesterday’s NDAA passage,” Brooks said. “The FY19 NDAA authorizes $708.1 billion in total defense spending, meeting or exceeding the White House request. $639.1 billion is for the Department of Defense base budget and $69 billion is for Overseas Contingency Operations.”
Congressman Bradley Byrne, R-Montrose, also supported passage of the legislation,
Congressman Byrne said, “From Redstone Arsenal to the Anniston Army Depot to Fort Rucker to Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base to the Austal shipyard in Mobile, Alabama plays a critical role in supporting our nation’s military. This year’s National Defense Authorization Act boosts Alabama’s military installations and ensures that our service members have the resources they need to keep us safe.”
Congressman Mike Rogers, R-Saks, said, “This week the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) marked up the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19). Although this bill focuses on our country’s Department of Defense, there are many pieces of the legislation that will have a huge impact back home in East Alabama.”
“For us in Southwest Alabama, the bill authorizes the construction of three Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), which keeps the program on track as the Navy continues the transition to the up-gunned Frigate,” Byrne added. “This is big news to the over 4,000 men and women who work at the Austal shipyard, but it is even better news as we work toward our goal of building a highly capable 355-ship Navy fleet.”
Brooks said that the bill includes funding of the Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block IB multiyear procurement at $490.21M with another $180.8M for improvements; Hypersonics development at $130.4M; $85M for Army National Guard UH-60M helicopters; $70M for the Army’s Iron Dome interceptor system; $874M for Terminal High Altitude Air Defense procurement and improvements; Military Housing Privatization Initiative at $270M, $103M for unmanned aerial vehicle MQ-1 Predators; $60M for the Gray Eagle Service Life Extension; $118M for Short Range Air Defense; a f; ll and open competition for Ground Mobility Vehicles; Cyber Security of MDA and SMD assets, and $192.6M for the Improved Turbine Engine.
Rep. Rogers said, “The NDAA starts by strengthening our military after years of being weakened under the Obama Administration. It gives a much-deserved 2.6 percent raise for our troops. This is the biggest pay increase in almost a decade.”
Brooks added, “In addition to the 25 Redstone Arsenal community’s policy requests that we helped insert ‘behind the scenes’ into the draft NDAA, I’m pleased my office helped successfully add another four amendments to the NDAA during the HASC debate.”
“Big picture, the NDAA also includes some movement on an important initiative I have been working on for a couple years,” Rogers said. “It includes steps to help ensure we are on the right path when it comes to National Security Space. I was pleased to see President Trump recently reaffirmed his support for Space Force and I am hoping it will continue to gain traction.”
“The NDAA still has a way to go in the legislative process, but I am optimistic it will be completed soon and help provide for our nation’s security and our brave men and women in uniform,” Rogers said.
The FY19 NDAA passed HASC on a bipartisan 60-1 vote.
