Washington, DC – Following passage of the FY 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) released this statement:

“Our national security is paramount, and today the House acted to support our various departments and agencies who work around-the-clock to keep our country safe.

“I proudly voted in favor of the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and was pleased to see this bill receive such strong bipartisan support. Additionally, I was pleased that the final NDAA included 3,500 additional special immigrant visas (SIVs) for Afghan translators and interpreters who served with the United States and our allies, and now face threats to their lives from terror groups. This continues to be an issue of great importance to me, and to our country, because we must keep our promises to the brave men and women who risked their lives to assist us during the War in Afghanistan.

“I cannot stress enough how important this authorization is for our Department of Defense and our Armed Forces. We have a worn-out military and sadly, we have seen some of those effects in the last few years. The NDAA provides robust funding that addresses our readiness crisis with a balanced approach to allocating resources. And, it supports our troops. Our men and women in uniform, and their families, deserve our full support and this package includes the largest pay raise to our troops in 8 years.

“I was proud to join my colleagues in supporting this important funding package, and I look forward to seeing my Senate colleagues act on this NDAA soon.”

94.1 WGFA