NDAA for fiscal year 2017 signed into law

On Dec. 2, the House voted 375-34 to approve the conference report to S. 2943, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2017. The Senate followed suit on Dec. 8, approving the measure by a recorded vote of 92-7. It was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Dec. 23, and is now P.L. 114-328.

This measure sets the spending parameters and policy statements for America’s military forces for this fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2016. This legislation sets Department of Defense (DoD) spending for the upcoming year at $619 billion for base national defense. This includes the administration’s base request of $610 billion; $5.8 billion supplemental request for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Europe; and a further $3.2 billion for Readiness Stabilization Funding to stop the drawdown of the military, which is fueling the readiness crisis.

Other highlights of the measure include:

  • A 2.1 percent pay raise for troops;
  • A stop to the drawdown and an increase to the end strength of America's armed forces;
  • A solution to getting better technology into the hands of warfighters more quickly;
  • An increase of funding for depot maintenance facilities, sustainment and modernization, and ship maintenance; and
  • An increase of ship procurement, especially for submarines and amphibious ships.

The NDAA improves access to quality care for warfighters, military retirees and their families, while enhancing medical readiness. The measure also makes no changes to the Basic Allowance for Housing. Further, it makes reforms to ensure the military commissary benefit will be preserved. However, once again, Congress failed to repeal the Disabled Veterans Tax or to provide mandatory end-of-service physical examination to reserve component troops.

Other reforms contained in the NDAA include updating the Uniform Code of Military Justice, DoD organizational reform, and limiting the staff size of the National Security Council.

Veterans legislation passes

The House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees compiled an omnibus bill consisting of VA-related provisions. H.R. 6416, the Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016, passed the Senate without amendment by voice vote on Dec. 10, after it passed the House on Dec. 6. The measure was signed by Obama on Dec. 16, and is now P.L. 114-315.

This bill is named after Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Richard Blumenthal, ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. This omnibus bill drew together a number of pending non-controversial veterans’ bills that were bipartisan and voted out of committee months ago.