The 2016 National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress last week will not reach the president’s desk until next week. President Barack Obama has said he will veto the bill because it bypasses caps on military spending. But the bill has not yet been printed and signed by congressional leaders, which must happen before it goes to the White House, and Congress is away this week on its Columbus Day recess.
Meanwhile, some military-related groups have publicly declared their opinions on a presidential veto. The Reserve Officers Association is urging Obama not to veto the bill because it does include some items favorable to the National Guard and Reserves. “While we may not agree with every provision, the effect of the bill is more positive than negative,” the group said in a letter to the president.
Other groups want the president to veto the measure, including anti-war groups and anti-nuclear advocates. In a letter to the president, they said they are “deeply troubled” by the $38 billion added to the overseas contingency operations fund as a way to sidestep military budget caps. EANGUS and NGAUS have not taken a public stand on the bill because they consider the debate now to be a partisan one and we remain bipartisan as organizations.
We are disappointed that Veteran status appears to have been stripped from both versions, that Army Guard end strength was not increased, and that dual-status technicians were not exempted from civilian employee furloughs. On the positive side, we were able to stop the retirement of the A-10, fund the purchase of additional UH-60 Blackhawks, and prohibit the transfer of ARNG Apaches until the enactment of the FY16 NDAA.