CVA Statement on President Obama’s Veto of 2016 National Defense Authorization Act
Rebukes President Obama for placing service members and national security at risk to achieve domestic political agenda
Arlington, Va. – Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) CEO Pete Hegseth released the following statement today after President Obama’s veto of the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act:
“Once again, President Obama has put politics ahead of the well-being of our military by vetoing the bipartisan 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would authorize funding for the Department of Defense (DOD) in addition to implementing significant reforms that would have saved the DOD tens of billions dollars over the coming years.
“The president has continued to move the goalposts in his opposition to the NDAA, but his latest excuse, that he will not sign an NDAA unless Congress agrees to remove the spending caps on non-defense spending, is absurd – especially considering that these spending levels are completely unrelated to the NDAA. Never before has a president vetoed a National Defense Authorization Act as a result of something that is not part of the bill.
“While not completely perfect, this 2016 NDAA contains important reforms to military compensation and the DOD’s weapon acquisition systems. These reforms, when fully implemented, have the potential to save the DOD tens of billions of dollars in addition to helping ensure our warfighters get quality equipment in a timely manner while also expanding retirement benefits to over 80 percent of active duty personnel. The president’s veto of the 2016 NDAA threatens and delays those reforms.
“The president is in effect holding the NDAA hostage in order to extract a ransom from Congress in the form of higher non-defense spending. Congress should not respond to these tactics and should hold the line on non-defense spending and protect the important reforms in the NDAA – especially considering the threat from our nation’s growing national debt. Our military and our national defense are far too important to be used as pawns in these political games.”
To schedule a TV interview with Pete Hegseth, CEO of CVA, or other CVA experts, please email booking@guestbooker.com. For other media inquiries, contact press@cv4a.org.
###
Concerned Veterans for America is a non-partisan, non-profit, 501(c)(4) organization that advocates for policies that will preserve the freedom and prosperity we and our families so proudly fought and sacrificed to defend.