KATKO ANTI-TERRORISM MEASURE INCLUDED IN NDAA

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. John Katko (NY-24) today applauded final House passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bicameral, bipartisan package that supports American troops and our national defense.  Significantly, the measure includes the text of legislation Representative Katko authored to bolster our country’s strategy to combat terrorist travel.  It also contains provisions to support the 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field and Central New York’s sizeable defense industry.

Rep. Katko’s bill, the National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act, which previously passed the House, is product the bipartisan Task Force on Combating Foreign Fighter Travel, which he chaired.  It requires that the Administration proffer a substantive strategy to combat the evolving threats posed by extremists fighting overseas and to prevent such terrorists from entering our country undetected. 

“In light of the ever-evolving threats to our nation’s security, it is critical that our military has the modern resources and support necessary to provide for the safety of our country,” said Rep. John Katko.  “It is also vital that our country articulate a plan to combat the growing threat of foreign fighter travel, and I am pleased that provisions I authored to helpprevent the spread of global terrorism have been included in this comprehensive package.”

Representative Katko advocated for, and today highlighted the importance of, the following items in the 2017 NDAA which will be of benefit of Central New York, including:

• Preventing the Department of Defense from Recouping National Guard bonuses paid tothousands of Army and Air National Guard soldiers, including veterans who served at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base.
   
• Authorization of the Ohio-class Replacement Submarine Program for the U.S. Navy, for which parts are produced in Central New York.
   

• Funding for the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), for which parts are produced in Central New York.

“This package supports the men and women who have served at 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field, and will help grow and support Central New York’s broad landscape of defense industries and the thousands of Central New Yorkers that they employ,” concluded Rep. Katko.  

The measure also temporarily discontinues defense-widepersonnel reductions, provides troops with the largest pay raise they’ve seen in six years, prohibits transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to American soil, reforms the acquisition process to spend taxpayer dollars more wisely, and increases protections against sexual assault.

Congressman John Katko represents the 24th Congressional District, which includes all of Onondaga, Cayuga, and Wayne Counties and a portion of Oswego County.  For more information, please visit https://katko.house.gov or www.facebook.com/RepJohnKatko. 

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