WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Hal Rogers critized House Democrats today for allowing partisan politics to undermine our national defense and military readiness. Rogers voted against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020, which would reverse the Defense Department's strong progress under the Trump Administration. 

The FY20 NDAA authorizes $733 billion for Department of Defense activities, which is $17 billion less than the President's request. Instead of building on the bipartisan Senate-passed version of the legislation, the partisan bill passed by the House slashed funding for national security, rejected key defense initiatives critical to our ability to deter Russia and China, and blocked the President's attempts to address the crisis at our southern border.

"This is the first time in 58 years that a single party has disrupted the top duty of the nation - to provide for our national defense. Rather than working together to meet the security needs of this nation and the men and women fighting for freedom around the world, this legislation degrades this institution, undercuts our military and opens the door to threats from our adversaries," said Congressman Rogers. "I join my colleagues in calling on Speaker Pelosi to end the radical political charades. We must move forward with bipartisan legislation that maintains our military strength and respect for the members of our Armed Forces." 

A vote against the NDAA does not affect a pay raise for the military. Pay raises kick in automatically every year, and a 3.1% raise for those services is already set to take affect later this year. 

The legislation also seeks to force the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and paves the path to transferring terrorists to U.S. soil.