[an error occurred while processing this directive] Press Release: - Congressman Cummings Urges Colleagues to Support Troops
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Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2007

 Contact:
Jennifer Kohl
202.225.4289 or 202.225.4025
Trudy Perkins
410.685.9199 or 202.225.4641

NDAA will restore military readiness, provide for service members
Washington, DC— Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (Md.-07), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, urged his colleagues to support the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), H.R. 1585, scheduled for a vote tonight.
 
“Although we may be divided on the war in Iraq, we must be united in our effort to ensure that every single member of the armed forces has the equipment necessary to succeed in battle and the first-rate and uncompromised benefits they deserve upon returning home,” Congressman Cummings said. “The National Defense Authorization sets the course to achieve this goal in a fiscally responsible manner that has been absent in recent years.”
 
The bill includes the Wounded Warrior Act, which responds to the problems and deficits in care raised by the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal through such measures as the establishment of an oversight board to conduct annual evaluations of the quality and integrity of medical care provided to our veterans. This includes an amendment authored by Congressman Cummings giving the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the power to appoint two members to this oversight board to ensure that veterans have a voice.
 
Also included in the bill is an amendment from Congressman Cummings requiring Defense Secretary Robert Gates, General David Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker to provide reports to Congress about the status of the war, as well as additional recommendations from Congressman Cummings regarding the Iraq war. These include addressing the need for proper oversight in the reconstruction effort, ending no-bid contracts, and distributing oil revenues to the Iraqi people.
 
“The men and women who are risking their lives for us should not be given first-class weapons in battle only to receive third-class benefits when it comes to their health,” Congressman Cummings said. “The NDAA is critical in easing the strain that has been put on our troops and restoring our military readiness. I am hopeful that my colleagues will join me in supporting our troops by passing this bill and that the President will quickly sign it into law.”
 
Other key highlights of the bill include:
  • Restoring our nation’s military readiness through the creation of a Strategic Readiness Fund to address equipment shortfalls
  • Supporting our troops and their families through a military pay raise exceeding what President Bush requested and prohibiting fee increases in TRICARE
  • Improving accountability and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in contracting, including the requirement of new steps to manage and oversee contracts in Afghanistan and Iraq
  • Addressing the increasing prevalence of mental health disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by requiring the Defense Department to develop a prevention plan
 
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