Senate Passes National Defense Authorization Act in 71-25 Bipartisan Vote

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today regarding the Senate’s passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 in a 71-25 vote:

“The Senate’s overwhelming, bipartisan vote reflects the vital importance of this legislation to our men and women in uniform, especially at a time of growing threats to our national security. I hope today’s result will encourage the President to abandon his misguided veto threat.

“This is an ambitious piece of legislation. But to rise to the challenges of a more dangerous world, we cannot afford business as usual in the Defense Department. We must champion the cause of defense reform, rigorously root out Pentagon waste, and invest in modernization and next-generation technologies to maintain our military technological advantage. This legislation is an important first step towards accomplishing those goals.

“I look forward to working closely with Chairman Mac Thornberry as we proceed to conference. We share a commitment to defense reform, and there are broad areas of agreement and consensus in our two bills. I am hopeful we will be able to complete our work sometime next month, and send a good bill to the President’s desk.”

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