Press Releases

Washington, DC—July 21, 2020….Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) today released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 6395, the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021. The legislation, which includes several Womack-supported provisions, authorizes $740.5 billion for national defense activities, including resources to equip our troops, support military families, enhance defense capabilities, strengthen military readiness, and modernize the force:

Congressman Womack said, “With new and emerging threats across the globe, we can’t retreat from our most fundamental responsibility: providing for the common defense. This NDAA continues to enhance military readiness by equipping our brave men and women in uniform with the resources necessary to protect our homeland, providing troops with a well-deserved pay raise, funding Arkansas’s military installations, and making critical investments to confront our adversaries, specifically China and Russia. My support of this bill is for our troops and the elements essential to achieving a strong national security—it does not extend to some of the non-defense provisions that were unfortunately tacked on. I’m hopeful that we can remove these extraneous measures during conference to further strengthen the final legislation and core responsibilities it upholds. Our armed forces are the greatest in the world, and we must ensure that never changes.”

Provisions of the bill that Womack strongly supports include authorizations that will:

• Provide our courageous troops with a pay raise;
• Allow for a Fort Smith Air National Guard Base energy project;
• Include sanctions to stop the construction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline, an initiative Womack has cosponsored to protect U.S. and European security;
• Enhance resources to protect our armed forces from COVID-19;
• Support the Multinational Force and Observers’ mission in Sinai, which is where the “Gunslingers” of the 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment, Arkansas Army National Guard deployed to following the September 11th attacks;
• Invest in the tools needed to keep our troops safe, well-trained, and agile;
• Procure critical defense equipment, including new submarines and advanced weapon systems;
• Modernize our nuclear deterrent to ensure it remains ready to respond, if necessary;
• Bolster resources to improve lethality and confront threats around the world, including aggression from Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran; and
• Emphasize policies and programs that advance America's security against emerging threats, including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, biotechnology, and more.

Following passage of the Senate version, the bill will go to a conference committee, where negotiators from the House and Senate will convene to reconcile differences between the two NDAA versions advanced by both chambers.

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011. He serves as the Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Budget and is a member of the House Appropriations defense and transportation, housing and urban development subcommittees.

womack.house.gov

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