Hudson's Legislation to Support 440th AW Passes House
December 2, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2016
Hudson’s Legislation to Support 440th AW Passes House
House Approves Critical Defense Bill with Hudson’s Key Language to Protect Training of Fort Bragg Paratroopers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) released the following statement after the House passed the bipartisan, bicameral FY17 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):
“It’s my job to guarantee our men and women in uniform have the tools needed to carry out their missions, and today’s measure honors that responsibility. This defense bill includes major reforms to spend taxpayer dollars in a responsible, cost-efficient way while shoring up readiness to meet the growing threats we face. Just as important, it includes key measures to hold the Air Force accountable and ensure our rapid reaction forces at Fort Bragg – the epicenter of the universe – are prepared for deployment at a moment's notice. I am hopeful the president will support this legislation and honor our obligation to protect the American people.”
In May, Rep. Hudson filed an amendment to the House-passed NDAA that would create additional congressional oversight over airborne operations at Fort Bragg. He worked closely with Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) to ensure language was added to the final conference version. The amendment requires the Secretary of the Air Force and the Secretary of the Army to give quarterly reports to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees specifying the number of airborne jumps and evaluating the level of air support provided by the Pentagon. This language was included in today’s conference version of the 2017 NDAA.
In addition, the 2017 NDAA contains critical provisions to rebuild a strong military, increase readiness and support our service members, including measures to:
- Boost base funding by $9 billion over the administration’s request to close the readiness gap, rebuild our military, and guarantee our troops have the best equipment, resources and support.
- Provide our troops a well-deserved pay raise at 2.1 percent - the largest pay raise in six years.
- Reform the acquisition process to spend taxpayer dollars more wisely and get our troops cutting-edge technology quickly and efficiently.
- Maintain longstanding provisions to prohibit transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to American soil.
- Help combat sexual assault in the military by building upon past efforts with an improved reporting process and mandatory sentences for certain offenses.
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Issues:Defense & National Security