[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 156 (Friday, October 23, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H7142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT
(Mr. WILLIAMS asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute.)
Mr. WILLIAMS. Mr. Speaker, as Commander in Chief, the President of
the United States is tasked with upholding the safety and security of
our Nation; but, yesterday, President Obama vetoed the annual defense
bill that ensures the right policies are in place to protect us.
The National Defense Authorization Act is actually one of the few
pieces of legislation up here that regularly gets voted out of the
House and Senate, regardless of who controls the Chamber.
This year, the NDAA passed the House of Representatives by a vote of
270-156, and it passed the Senate 70-27. It is one of the few things
that gets done like it is supposed to. In fact, the NDAA has been
enacted into law every year since its inception in 1961.
President Obama vetoed this bill not because he disagreed with its
substance, but because he wanted to use it as a bargaining chip to
force Congress to increase its spending for his non-defense programs.
Mr. Speaker, the Taliban is reentering Afghanistan. Islamic
extremists are attempting to conquer Iraq. The U.S. is at odds with
Russia over Syria's civil war; and China is expanding beyond its
territorial claims in the Pacific. Frankly, the world is in chaos.
While he only has one more year in office, there could not be a worse
time for President Obama to so selfishly--no--so recklessly--push his
agenda at the cost of U.S. national security.
In God we trust.
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