Amendments to the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
Amendments to the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
Heritage Action will be key voting the following three amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016 (H.R. 1735):
Key Vote Alert: "YES" on Brooks Amendment
The House will vote on the Brooks Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016 (H.R. 1735). Introduced by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) and 31 additional members, the amendment would strip language added to the NDAA during the committee markup by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) that would encourage the Pentagon to consider allowing DACA recipients to enlist in the military.
James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., the Heritage Foundation's vice president for foreign and defense policy studies explained:
To jam this amnesty provision into the NDAA goes beyond the pale in playing politics with national security. This literally destroys the credibility of the NDAA as must-pass legislation that the nation needs to provide for the common defense. The Gallego Amendment is unnecessary for national security; makes a mockery of U.S. immigration law; and is a slap in the face to those who want to come here and play by the rules.
Heritage Action supports the Brooks Amendment and will include it as a key vote on our scorecard.
Key Vote Alert: "YES" on Carter-Rigell-McCaul-Gohmert Amendment
The House will vote on Carter-Rigell-McCaul-Gohmert Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016 (H.R. 1735). Introduced by Reps. John Carter (R-Texas), Scott Rigell (R-Va.), Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), the amendment would require "DOD to establish a process by which the commander of a military installation may authorize a service member to carry a concealed personal firearm on the installation if the commander determines it to be necessary as a personal or force-protection measure."
Heritage Action supports the Carter-Rigell-McCaul-Gohmert Amendment and will include it as a key vote on our scorecard.
Key Vote Alert: "NO" on Polis Amendment
The House will vote on the Polis Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016 (H.R. 1735). Introduced by Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), the amendment would reduce "from 11 to 10 the statutory requirement for the number of operational carriers that the U.S. Navy must have."
Heritage has explained:
In the immediate aftermath of the first Gulf War, U.S. leaders decided to use the requirement to conduct two major regional conventional contingencies (MRCs) at the same time as the basis for sizing the U.S. military. In fact, every Administration for the past two decades found that a force sized to fight two wars was essential for meeting the ongoing demands for forward presence, crisis response, regional deterrence, humanitarian assistance, building partnership capacity, homeland defense, and support to civil authorities.
The decision to maintain 11 aircraft carriers as part of a two-MRC force is not arbitrary. Heritage has explained that it is based on some 20 years of analyses and studies as well as the experiences of Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom.
At the very moment in history when the U.S. should be building a two-MRC force capable of protecting U.S. interests by modernizing existing platforms and systems, and investing in advanced air, sea, and land capabilities, this amendment would degrade our military capabilities.
Heritage Action opposes the Polis Amendment and will include it as a key vote on our scorecard.
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Amendments to the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)