Young Comments on Unprecedented Presidential Veto of National Security Legislation

Press Release

Speaker Boehner sent the finalized National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2016 to the President's desk for signature on October 20, 2015.

Two days later, President Obama vetoed the bill because in it, Congress authorizes an additional $38 billion to fully fund the Defense Department at a time when Republicans in Congress are unwilling to eliminate budget caps that limit discretionary spending increases for domestic programs.

President Obama's veto marks the first time in history that a Commander in Chief will reject the defense legislation over non-national security measures that relate to domestic spending.

Congressmen Todd Young (R-IN) issued the following statement concerning the implications for Southern Indiana:

"Now is not the time for President Obama to play politics with our American military forces. Not when those warfighters and defense personnel remain one of the surest safeguards standing between the American people and unpredictable consequences we face after six years of failed Obama foreign policy."

"A veto from President Obama will have real-world implications at home in Indiana. One of southern Indiana's largest employers, NSWC Crane, relies on this legislative mechanism to carry out critical work which supports the missions of U.S. warfighters around the world. It is irresponsible for President Obama to reject this bipartisan legislation and exploit our nation's security requirements as personal leverage to make his political demands."

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