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Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16), member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement after the House of Representatives voted on H.R.6395, the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021:

“As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am proud to have worked to craft and support a strong bipartisan NDAA that reliably delivers for our national security needs at a pivotal time for our nation. This NDAA honors America’s values, strengthens our security, advances our nation’s leadership in the world, and delivers big wins for Fort Bliss and El Paso.

“This investment of more than $730 billion includes many provisions I fought for – advancing additive manufacturing in El Paso, prioritizing infrastructure at Fort Bliss and Holloman Air Force Base, confronting the climate change crisis, preventing sexual assault, providing a pay raise for our troops, creating a more inclusive and diverse military, and providing transparency when military force is used domestically.

“I look forward to continue honoring my responsibilities to our men and women in uniform and military families by working with my colleagues to ensure this historic legislation is passed into law.”

The National Defense Authorization Act authorizes funding for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. The House version of the NDAA will now be conferenced with the Senate’s version before the chambers vote on final legislation to send to the President Trump’s desk for signing into law.

An overview of Congresswoman Escobar’s provisions and key priorities is available here.

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