Congressman Tom O’Halleran, member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted last week to pass the FY18 National Defense Authorization Act, legislation that allocates funding for military operations at home and abroad.
“I am proud to support this bipartisan legislation that invests in our military and makes America more secure,” said O’Halleran. “It gives our military leaders the long-term strategic planning capabilities they need to complete critical missions that protect our nation.
“This legislation will give our troops a well-deserved raise, improve readiness and capability and invest in the modernization of our military.”
Included in this year’s NDAA are two amendments introduced by O’Halleran.

The first directs the Department of Defense to provide Congress with necessary information regarding the impact of opioids on military recruitment and what steps are being taken to prevent prescription drug abuse by service members. O’Halleran is a member of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force.
The second amendment requires the DoD to provide the committee with an itemized list of excess or unused equipment that could be made available to veteran-owned farming operations.
“I am proud to have two amendments to the NDAA pass the House Armed Services Committee,” said. O’Halleran. “These commonsense measures address the threat of opioids to our service members and takes steps to provide young farmers with access to affordable farm machinery that would otherwise go unused.”
A third amendment requiring the Department of Defense to submit reports of current and future presidential travel costs to Congress was submitted by Reps. O’Halleran and Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), but it narrowly failed in a tied vote after gaining support from three Republican lawmakers.
“I am disappointed in the committee’s refusal to promote transparency and accountability in our government,” continued O’Halleran. “This should not be a partisan issue. My amendment would have been an important step in holding our elected leaders from both political parties to the highest ethical standard.”
In addition, O’Halleran supported efforts to provide naturalization information to military service members and a modernization proposal, headed by Rep. Martha McSally (AZ-01), that improves technology at Fort Huachuca and other military bases.