Monday, October 05, 2015

Graves: Obama's dangerous veto threat

(From Sixth District Congressman Sam Graves)

The single most important responsibility of the federal government is ensuring this country has the strongest military on earth. Very simply, we have to give our service men and women the resources they need to confront our enemies abroad before they become threats at home. Anything less is unacceptable.

Last week, the House passed the conference report to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a final step before this important legislation can be signed into law.

The bill includes new retirement benefits for 83 percent of U.S. troops, rejects proposals to increase TRICARE fees on military families, and increases our ability to confront Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East.

Friday’s vote was a victory for the American people and all of our armed service members. Unfortunately, President Obama has decided to play politics with our military and threaten a veto on the bill.

If the President makes good on his threat, it would be an unprecedented step for the Commander-in-Chief to use a bill that provides pay and benefits to our troops as leverage for a larger political agenda.

The NDAA is a bipartisan piece of legislation – supported by over 63% of the House. It is outrageous and irresponsible for the President to ignore his constitutional obligation by vetoing this bill, and I hope he reconsiders in light of the security threats we face across the globe.

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