I voted Yes for H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2014.

This important annual bill is necessary to allow Congress to perform some of its most basic and essential responsibilities – such as funding our Armed Forces and national defenses and paying the salaries of our servicemen and women. This bill prohibits a new Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, from being proposed, planned, or carried out in 2014. This is especially important for Upstate to ensure that the facilities located at the former Griffiss Air Force Base are maintained – Rome Lab, the Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS), and the Rome Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) site.

This bill also recognizes the important high-tech work being done in our community by authorizing a $33 million increase in funding for Rome Lab's research and development efforts, which will maintain Upstate's leadership in advanced technology innovations that are vital to our modern national security priorities. The FY14 NDAA gives our troops a well-deserved raise and protects TRICARE for veterans from cuts. Specifically, the bill authorizes a 1.8 percent pay increase and extends bonuses and special pay for men and women in uniform. This vote restates the firmly-held sense of Congress that prior service to our nation is a pre-payment of healthcare benefits in retirement by protecting our veterans. The bill does not increase TRICARE fees or take away veteran benefits, as the President's budget proposed. TRICARE is the health benefits program for active duty personnel and other beneficiaries, including dependents of active duty personnel, military retirees, and dependents of retirees.

I am especially pleased to have been able to include an amendment to make it easier for small businesses to compete at all levels of federal contracting so we can help business grow and create more jobs in Central New York and the Southern Tier. The 'Make Every Small Business Count' Amendment makes it easier for small businesses to compete for lower tier subcontracts on federal projects and improves visibility into the health of the industrial base. I was also able to include an amendment that condemns the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs); expresses support for our Armed Forces and first responders; and supports policies to reduce the use and proliferation of IEDs. An average of 605 IED events happened every month from May 2012 – April 2013 around the world, killing and injuring thousands, and this resolution expresses Congress's resolve to curb these violent attacks.

Service to our nation should never go unnoticed, and this legislation reiterates my commitment to our nation's service members and veterans and my work to defend our vital assets here in Upstate and the Southern Tier.

The bill was approved by a vote of 315 – 108.