September 18, 2017

Manchin Applauds Senate Passage of the National Defense Authorization Act

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) applauds the Senate passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, a vital piece of legislation that will provide our military with the means necessary to defend our nation.

“This defense package is truly a bipartisan piece of legislation and provides necessary funding to support our troops, defend our nation and provide support to our West Virginia service members and facilities,” Senator Manchin said. “Maintaining a strong defense must be one of our highest national priorities as we continue to look for ways to reduce spending and I am pleased the Senate has passed the National Defense Authorization Act.”

Senator Manchin is particularly excited that included in FY18 NDAA are Audit the Pentagon provisions which have previously been introduced by Senator Manchin in the 112th, 113th and 114th Congress. The Department of Defense remains the only major federal agency that has not completed a financial audit, yet receives more than half of the discretionary budget funds. These provisions are designed to help the Department meet its obligation to complete an unqualified audit by 2018.

Additionally, Senator Manchin is pleased that this bill provides federal civilian employees in the National Guard eligibility for TRICARE Reserve Select. Extending eligibility to dual-status military technicians was a critical part of S.766, a bipartisan bill introduced by Senator Manchin this Spring, and dual-status technicians will be included in the expansion.

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