Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Brad Wenstrup (OH-02) offered the following statement after being named as a conferee to the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Conference Committee:

"Providing for the health and safety of the American people is my biggest priority. As we approach the holidays, we must always remember our men and women in uniform, many of whom are overseas, defending our freedoms. President Trump has delivered on his promise to rebuild the military, but there is still work to do. It's critical that we continue to provide our servicemembers with the resources and support needed to carry out their missions. This is, after all, the first constitutional responsibility of the federal government. 

Vulnerabilities in our critical supply chains stand out as one of our most pressing issues exposed by the pandemic. Included in this year’s House-passed NDAA are two amendments I authored to direct the Department of Defense (DOD) and related agencies to gather the necessary information Congress needs to intelligently realign our medical supply chains, including those supporting DOD’s Joint Deployment Formulary. Identifying data about the countries of origin of our active pharmaceutical ingredients and  barriers that may inhibit DOD from procuring these items is critical. Congress can use this kind of  information to complement and inform other efforts to produce more critical goods here at home, such as my bill to encourage domestic advanced medical manufacturing. I'm honored to serve as a conferee on this NDAA Conference Committee, and look forward to producing a bipartisan bill that will fulfill the needs of our national defense."

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) added the following comment regarding the nomination:

“The experience Brad brings to our Republican conference is unmatched - he is a doctor, serves as an Army Reserve officer, deployed to the Iraq War, and even became a small business owner. He personally understands the unique challenges and requirements of our military men and women, and it is my privilege to select him to serve on this year's NDAA conference committee. As one of the leaders of the Doc Caucus, Brad has also helped to spearhead Congress’ coordination with the administration’s very successful Operation Warp Speed. With him on the team, I know that the defense bill will reflect the mission of our Department of Defense, the demands of our troops, and the requirements to keep America safe.”

Congressman Wenstrup serves as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. He served a tour in Iraq from 2005-2006 as a combat surgeon and was awarded a Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge for his service.

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