Washington, DC– Today, Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) voted in favor of the defense budget agreement, authorizing $612 billion in spending that will strengthen our national defense and provide vital resources to the brave men and women serving in our military and our veterans. The measure,  H.R. 1735, the National Defense Authorization Act for 2016, passed the House of Representatives as lawmakers await the Senate’s final version.

“My top priority is to make sure that our men and woman in the field have the resources they need to stay safe and protect our freedom, and the budget we passed today does just that,” said Congressman Norcross who helped champion the bill as a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “I’m proud to say that Members of both parties came together to compromise on a sensible budget that will protect our joint base and support the veterans and our servicemembers here in South Jersey.”    

FY16 Defense Budget Highlights:

- Includes $515 billion for national defense and $89.2 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations.

- Prohibits the military from retiring its fleet of KC-10s. Vital to the mission at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and to our national defense, Congressmen Norcross and MacArthur introduced and passed key language that will keep America’s most reliable and proven refueling tanker in operation.

- Prohibits the Department of Defense from conducting an additional round of BRAC, protecting critical joint base operations and thousands of local jobs from the threat closure. 

- Includes $50M for F-16 radar upgrades, supporting critical Air Force missions and operations by Air Force Reserves and Air Force National Guard units like Atlantic City’s 177th Fighter Wing. 

- Includes provisions championed by Congressman Norcross to protect servicemembers from predatory lending practices and preserves certain benefits for servicemembers on travel or temporary assignment. 

As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Norcross remains committed to ensuring that our veterans and the men and women in our armed forces receive the resources they need.