Budget negotiations are ongoing, but as a deadline approaches U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe is trying to make sure service members are not in limbo. Oklahoma’s senior Senator Tuesday introduced a “skinny” version of the National Defense Authorization Act to continue funding basics of the military and other national security operations.
“I’m introducing this simple, politics-free version of the annual defense authorization bill today to guarantee that we are able to fulfill our responsibilities to our service members and maintain critical national security programs—a goal all conferees share,” Inhofe said. “Given our deadline, I want to preserve all options for fulfilling our Constitutional duty. My Democrat colleagues in the Senate have been great partners throughout this entire process, and I believe we can still reach a final, bipartisan agreement on a comprehensive defense authorization bill, just as we have for the last 58 years.”
Areas addressed in the skinny bill are pay of service members and Department of Defense civilian employees, quality of life programs for military families, support for U.S. Troops overseas, oversight of military construction and acquisition programs and critical readiness efforts. The bill budgets $738 billion for those items.
Inhofe is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Inhofe took to the Senate floor on Tuesday to outline the need for this version of the NDAA. You can watch his speech below.
