Blog
Congress Can Work
Washington,
May 20, 2014
This month, the House Armed Services Committee, made up of 62 members from across the country passed an important bill. Unanimously. From 10:00 am until 12:15 am, over 14 hours, Representatives debated, sparred, questioned, and amended the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA is an annual piece of legislation that is the legal basis for everything our military does, from training troops, to buying bullets, to stocking commissaries. This is the House Armed Services Committee’s major legislative action every year. This success isn’t spontaneous, but the result of serious conversations and hard work over the course of the last year. My colleagues and I worked together to ensure our men and women in uniform and their families have the support they need. I’m proud to be a part of the 53rd consecutive, bipartisan NDAA to pass the House Armed Services Committee. The amendment process was lively. Some of the amendments were controversial, like attempting to ban tobacco products on military bases. Some were obvious and smart, like preserving our air-to-ground attack capabilities with the A-10 Warthog aircraft. We navigated competing geographic, service branch, and military posture priorities and considered over 200 amendments in those 14 hours. When we got to the end of it all, every member unanimously voted to pass the bill out of committee. Chairman Buck McKeon, who is retiring this year, must be commended for shepherding through this bill in a time of heightened partisan discord. His leadership is respected on both sides of the aisle. Remember, Congress can work, and often does. Unfortunately, the serious work we do doesn’t make for good headlines in the media. |