National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020

Floor Speech

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Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Chairman, I am proud to have helped craft this year's National Defense Authorization Act. This fiscal year 2020 bill incorporates ideas from both sides of the aisle to deliver essential support and a pay raise to our deserving men and women in uniform.

Our bill authorizes $733 billion to provide for a smart and robust national defense, enhances housing and financial support for military families, and addresses operational and budgetary threats posed by climate change.

I was pleased to share with my Armed Services Committee colleagues the innovative work happening in districts like mine which are home to some of the military's core training installations. This includes Fort Bliss' leadership on net-zero energy and ongoing partnership with the VA that improves soldiers' medical expertise, while also serving our local veterans.

I was proud to support our vibrant El Paso community by advancing a community infrastructure support program and ensuring promising technologies like additive manufacturing, and the unique contributions of our small businesses that always have a place in building our national defense.

Finally, our bill enhances diversity and inclusion efforts in our armed services, improves oversight and accountability of DOD support to DHS and, yes, blocks the President from robbing finite military resources for a wall that our military never requested.

This is a bill we can all be proud of. I look forward to casting my vote in support.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for his leadership, and I urge my colleagues to support it as well.

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