SASC Chairman McCain on National Defense Authorization Act
Press Release
U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced details of the committee's markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016. The committee on Thursday voted, 22-4, to report the bill, which authorizes $612 billion funding for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy.
"This is a reform bill," McCain said. "It tackles acquisition reform, military retirement reform, personnel reform, headquarters and management reform. This legislation delivers sweeping defense reforms that rise to the challenges of a more dangerous world. We identified $10 billion of excess and unnecessary spending from the defense budget, and we are reinvesting it in military capabilities for our warfighters and reforms that can yield long-term savings for the Department of Defense. And we did all of this while upholding our commitments to servicemembers, retirees, and their families.
"I want to thank the Committee's outstanding ranking member, Senator Jack Reed," said McCain. "It was a pleasure to work with Jack on a bipartisan basis throughout the markup process. We worked through hundreds of amendments and some of the toughest issues confronting our military today. This is a better bill because of my friend, Jack Reed. I look forward to working together with my colleagues in the Senate, Chairman Thornberry, and Ranking Member Smith in the House to produce a defense authorization worthy of their service and sacrifice."
"I commend Chairman McCain for his leadership on this bill," Senator Reed said. "Thanks to Chairman McCain, there are many good provisions and needed reforms in the bill and we made significant headway in several areas. While we were unable to agree on the critical budget piece, the bill is a step toward providing resources for our men and women in uniform. I look forward to working with Chairman McCain and our counterparts in the House to find a responsible way forward," said Senator Reed.
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