Tillis And Burr: President Undermines National Security, Vetoes Funding For Troops | Eastern NC Now

 WASHINGTON, D.C.     Today, President Barack Obama vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016, which recently passed both chambers of Congress with strong bipartisan support. Following the president's decision to veto the NDAA for FY16, North Carolina Senators Thom Tillis (R) and Richard Burr (R) released the below statement:



 Senators Tillis and Burr successfully included an amendment into the final NDAA that aims to preserve the C-130H presence at Fort Bragg's Pope Airfield in North Carolina. Under Tillis and Burr's amendment, the C-130Hs cannot be removed from Fort Bragg unless the following leadership approvals indicate our national security and readiness of the Global Response Force will not be jeopardized:

• Consultation with Commanders of the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division, and the United States Army Special Operations Command
• Approval of the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Secretary of the Army
• Approval of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and the Secretary of the Air Force

 Earlier this year, the Air Force delayed its plans to shutter the 440th Airlift Wing at Pope Airfield for another year, in part as a result of pressure from the North Carolina Congressional Delegation and concerns raised by Army leaders. The select House-Senate Conference Committee deemed the Tillis/Burr amendment necessary to properly fix the Department of Defense and Air Force's strategically flawed plan to dismantle the wing, a vital unit to our country's Global Response Force.

• Contact:
•  Daniel Keylin/Meghan Burris (Tillis)
•   (202) 224-6342
•  Becca Watkins/Taylor Holgate (Burr)
•   (202) 228-1616