WASHINGTON, DC –Congressman Austin Scott (GA-08) today praised the U.S. House of Representatives for passingH.R. 3937, the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), by a vote of 300 to 119.

The bill provides funding for our nation’s military, including $521.3 billion in base budget national defense funding and $63.7 billion reserved for Overseas Contingency Operations.

“I commend the House for passing the National Defense Authorization Act, which provides important authorities and funding for the Department of Defense,” said Congressman Austin Scott. “This legislation is vital to providing resources for our men and women in uniform and addressing the numerous national security challenges our country faces.  For the past 52 years, Congress has passed a NDAA, and the House continued its part in this process today.   I look forward to building upon this positive momentum next year by further addressing the uncertainty in the defense budget and ending sequestration’s impact on our military.  

“I am proud of the bipartisan manner in which this bill was accomplished, yet this legislation is not perfect. We had to make tough choices to avoid further reductions of personnel, but I am thankful to have prevented retirement of the A-10C Warthog flown out of Moody Air Force Base, prevented a BRAC for 2015, and provided funding for the Next Generation JSTARS.  It is an honor to represent Moody and Robins Air Force Bases in Congress.”

The NDAA rejects the Department of Defense’s request for Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) and rejects most of the proposed cuts to military benefits included in the Department’s FY2015 budget submission.  In addition, an amendment supported by Congressman Scott to prohibit retirement of the A-10C Warthog fleet was included in the final agreement.   The legislation also includes the requested $73 million in funding toward a Next Generation Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) and $27.7 million in military construction for the Air Force Reserve Command Headquarters, located at Robins Air Force Base.

Congressman Scott, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Readiness, Military Personnel, and Oversight Subcommittees, represents Moody and Robins Air Force Bases.

###