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Congressman Lamborn's Statement on the NDAA Conference Report

July 24, 2018

Washington, DC - Tonight, Chairman Mac Thornberry filed the Conference Report for the FY19 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Conference Report is expected to receive a vote in the House on Thursday this week. It is on track to be the earliest an NDAA has been signed into law in 41 years. As a Conferee working on the final language, Congressman Lamborn issued the following statement:

"I am very excited for what the FY19 NDAA will do for the 5th Congressional District of Colorado and for our nation's defense - but I'm especially happy for what this bill does for our men and women in uniform. For far too long, we have asked our military to do too much with too little - this bill continues to address our readiness crisis by providing additional resources for training, modernizes our military through recapitalization and new equipment purchases, makes major reforms in Pentagon bureaucracy and streamlines buying practices, and institutes major reforms for national security space which will be a huge benefit to Colorado Springs. I was especially glad the House succeeded in preventing Tricare fees from being raised. Having the bill completed so early is a tremendous boon to our military: they can begin their planning now and be proactive rather than reactive. As the representative of Colorado's 5thCongressional District, 'provide for the common defense' is one of my core responsibilities, and one I know so many in our community care about deeply having served themselves. I look forward to voting YES on this bill, and I'm excited to have been a part of its creation and passage."


A full summary of the conference report can be found here.

Below are some highlights:

· The FY19 NDAA provides a $716 Billion topline for the Department of Defense.

· It provides our troops with a 2.6% pay raise - the largest in 9 years

· Continues assistance for military spouses to find and keep employment by expanding the My Career Advancement program

· Includes substantial improvements to transition assistance program ensuring Service members are ready for post-separation careers

· Provides $101.297 Million for military construction on Fort Carson

· Fully supports the President's Nuclear Posture Review and includes funds to accelerate nuclear modernization.

· Provides over $10 Billion for missile defense, including next generation capabilities

· Provides over $8.8 Billion for national security space

· Continues and strengthens military cooperation with Israel

· Fully funds the President's request for $250 Million for Ukraine, including lethal aide

· Implements major reforms to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to combat Chinese infiltration of defense supply chains