Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) joined his House colleagues in adopting the conference report to accompany the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 by a vote of 377 to 48. The report is the product of the NDAA Conference Committee, a select group of House Members and Senators who meet to reconcile differences in the defense bills passed by each chamber of Congress. Rep. Bacon was appointed to the NDAA conference committee for the third consecutive year.
“For the third year since I arrived in Washington, Congress has sent a strong bi-partisan message that our military readiness remains a national priority,” said Rep. Bacon. “This important legislation deepens and accelerates the progress we’ve made to reverse the staggering decline in combat readiness we have seen over the last decade. Though I had disagreements with my Democratic colleagues on several policy issues this year, we found agreement on hundreds of others allowing us to send this legislation to the President’s desk before the end of the year.”
The 2020 NDAA:
Authorizes $743 billion for national defense including $5.3 billion in emergency funding for military installations affected by recent natural disasters
Establishes the Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces under the Department of the Air Force
Fully funds modernization of the nuclear weapons enterprise to replace aging systems and reverse the dangerous decline in the effectiveness and reliability of America’s nuclear deterrent
Permanently ends the “widow tax” mandatory offset to survivor benefits
Provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all federal civilian employees
Authorizes a 3.1% pay increase, the largest in a decade
Reforms military housing by requiring a tenant bill of rights, sets a minimum acceptable livability standard, and enhances oversight of privatized military housing
Authorizes $213 million in construction funds to rebuild facilities at Offutt Air Force Base and Camp Ashland, including $29 million for the construction of a new national guard readiness center in Bellevue
Authorizes more than $900 million to modernize RC-135, WC-135, OC-135, E-4 and E-6B aircraft based at Offutt AFB, including $234 million to replace ground mission equipment destroyed in the flood
Includes numerous legislative provisions introduced by Rep. Bacon supporting NATO and the defense of Taiwan; requires the heads of the military services to meet directly with Gold Star families; ensures copyright protections for civilian faculty of military academic institutions; requires improved sharing of sensor data from fifth generation aircraft; and requires the administration to consult with Congress prior to taking steps to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty.
“This defense authorization is especially important to Nebraska and the greater Omaha region given the devastating impacts of the flooding we experienced earlier this year,” added Rep. Bacon. “It was an uphill fight to get the resources needed to rebuild our bases, but we eventually prevailed. This year’s NDAA represents a total victory for the country, the state of Nebraska, and our local economy.”
