WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Jack Reed (D-RI), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021:

“Just as Congress has done for the last 59 years in a row, we have reached a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. This Conference Agreement fulfills our most important constitutional duty: to provide for the security of this nation and the men and women who lay their lives on the line to defend it.

“From the very beginning, we have committed to making this a Member-led bill, and this conference report is a reflection of that. With Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry, we have spent countless hours working through thousands of provisions to reach a final agreement. While the road wasn’t always smooth, we have reached our final destination, and we are grateful to the conferees for their hard work and contributions.

“This year’s NDAA will strengthen our national defense now and for years to come. The conference agreement accelerates implementation of the National Defense Strategy, ensuring we not only have the best planes, ships, and tanks, but that our forces are in the right places, at the right time, with the right capabilities. It pushes back on Chinese aggression by establishing the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, and includes numerous policies to counter Russia and other potential adversaries. The bill directs investments to encourage innovation and develop the groundbreaking technology that will keep our children’s children safe. We encourage reform at the Pentagon that will allow it to operate more efficiently and effectively, and we secure our supply chain from overreliance on foreign adversaries. Most importantly, it takes care of our troops and their families — providing a three percent raise, increasing hazardous duty pay, and improving access to high-quality housing, education, and child care.

“The NDAA is one of the few pieces of legislation Congress passes year after year — because both parties and both houses recognize how important it is to honor our commitments to our men and women in uniform and to secure our national defense. We look forward to passing, for the 60th straight year, a Conference Report that does just that.”

Please click here for the SASC summary of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. The full text of the agreement will be available on rules.house.gov.