Rep. Costa Statement on National Defense Authorization Act

Washington, DC - Rep. Jim Costa released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (H.R. 4909), which included an amendment introduced by Rep. Costa.

“My amendment, which was accepted into the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), has the potential to help regions like the San Joaquin Valley that have experienced a loss of drinking water supplies as a result of serious drought conditions,” said Rep. Costa. “It would require the Department of Defense to provide a report to Congress on the well-drilling capabilities of military units and the feasibility of rotating training locations to areas of the United States affected by drought conditions. Providing relief to drought-stricken regions like the San Joaquin Valley must be done with a multi-pronged approach, and this amendment offers one way in which Congress can try to help communities that are dealing with the effects of devastating drought conditions.”

Rep. Costa continued saying, “The defense authorization bill that Congress passed is not a perfect bill, but I supported the legislation because it ensures that the U.S. military is the strongest in the world and our communities and country remain safe. As this bill moves forward, it is my hope improvements are agreed upon before a final measure is passed into law.”

The FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would authorize $602 billion in discretionary funds, including $543 billion for Department of Defense programs and $59 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations. The legislation would raise military pay by 2.1 percent, and provide investments in capabilities for power projection, counterterrorism, deterrence, ground combat, sea power, and air superiority to help maintain the U.S. military’s advantages in the twenty-first century. The legislation allows for $680 million to combat ISIL in Iraq and $250 million to train and assist vetted Syrian opposition forces, and reinforces congressional oversight over those efforts.