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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steven Palazzo, (MS-4), today voted in favor of the FY15 National Defense Authorization Act. It is the first defense bill following a budget deal in December that eased the burden of sequestration cuts over the next two years. The bill passed with bipartisan support, 325-98.

Palazzo, who contributed to the bill as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement:

“This bill places priority on our nation’s security needs, and keeps faith with our troops,” Palazzo stated. “In addition to restoring high-priority items the President cut from his budget, the House defense bill once again prevents a costly and contentious BRAC process. It reflects a commitment to the ship requirements of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and an increased focus in the Pacific region. It acknowledges the significant contributions of our men and women in the National Guard, and ensures the Guard remains a viable force for the future. The world is not getting safer. Our troops deserve our strong commitment, not cuts.”

In addition to shipbuilding and National Guard initiatives Palazzo sponsored in the underlying bill, another measure Palazzo added this week expressed concerns regarding the Air Force’s strategy in moving tactical airlift forces. The language would require the Secretary of the Air Force, who is visiting Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi next week at Palazzo’s request, to report on the force structure needs following a drawdown in Afghanistan. The Air Force would also be required to brief congressional committees prior to moving any planes in FY15.

"In tight budget times, you don't start moving things around without knowing what longer-term needs are,” Palazzo stated. “The Air Force’s attempts to move C-130J’s from Keesler is a prime example of a premature move that doesn’t seem to support current mission requirements and does nothing to cut costs. These are also issues I’ll bring up to the Secretary next week."

The bill also includes the following measures:

 Shipbuilding Measures

The House Committee bill included key shipbuilding priorities, including authorization for a 12^th amphibious LPD ship Palazzo championed and two additional DDG-51 destroyer ships. As a member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, Palazzo worked over the past few months to raise awareness of the need for the 12th amphibious ship. The proposal received praise from top Navy and Marine Corps officials and retired Marine Corps generals.

“The Navy and the Marine Corps have repeatedly demonstrated their desire for this high-value ship, as well as an interest in preserving the shipbuilding industrial base and keeping costs low for taxpayers,” Palazzo stated. “I am pleased that Chairman McKeon and the House Armed Services Committee agree with me that this platform belongs in the FY15 defense bill.”

Military Personnel Measures

The House bill would also restore personnel funds that were cut from the President’s budget, including: troop pay, TRICARE, housing allowances and commissary funding. These cuts in the President’s proposal would have resulted in thousands of dollars of out-of-pocket expenses for military families. In addition to restoring these funds, Palazzo supported an annual troop pay increase of 1.8% within the House bill.

BRAC Prohibition

For several years in a row, the President has requested rounds of Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC. Once again, the House defense bill rejects this request. In 2011, in response to Palazzo questions at an Armed Services Committee Hearing, then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that the 2005 BRAC was a “mistake,” and admitted that “in many cases it wound up costing a lot more.”

National Guard Measures

Palazzo also backed several measures in support of maintaining the National Guard as an operational force. The President’s budget suggested significant cuts to Guard forces, despite their record of performance alongside active duty forces over the last decade of war. In an amendment coauthored with Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo of Guam, Palazzo added language to the House bill that would give the Chief of the National Guard Bureau the same power as other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to select his own leadership team. As the newest member of the Joint Chiefs, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau currently receives assignments to his leadership team from the President. A separate Palazzo measure would enhance the National Guard Counter-drug Program and its training centers. Palazzo also supported a Wilson-Enyart amendment that would freeze end-strength numbers for the Active Army and Guard, require GAO to report on all aspects of the Army, with input from the National Guard Bureau, and provide $363 million for National Guard Combat Training rotations, depot maintenance and procurement and modifications to the UH-60s.

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Palazzo was recently awarded the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Eagle Award for his work on the House Armed Services Committee. He is a Marine veteran of the Persian Gulf War and currently serves as a noncommissioned officer in the Mississippi National Guard.