As the House considers H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019, NTU urges all Representatives to vote “YES” on the following amendments that would reduce wasteful spending, increase accountability, and protect taxpayers:
Amd. 22 (92) King (R-IA): This amendment would prohibit the authorization of funds to enforce the Davis-Bacon Act’s prevailing wage requirements, saving considerable sums on many projects.
Amd. 30 (161) Hice (R-GA): This amendment, the “Presidential Allowance Modernization Act,” would reduce taxpayer subsidization of former President’s (many of whom can continue to earn a living after their time in office) private activities. This is a commonsense measure to curtail an overly generous pension and allowances that pay for travel, office space, and staff. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated this amendment could save $11 million over five years and it has previously passed both the House and Senate unanimously, before being vetoed.
Amd. 31 (162) Ross (R-FL): This amendment would require a report from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on the use of “Official Time,” taxpayer funded time spend on union activities, by federal employees. An OPM report issued in April, after a lapse of several years, found that use of Official Time has increased. Consistent, timely reporting is necessary to better understand and take steps to reform Official Time.
Amd. 44 (330) Norman (R-SC): This amendment would require the Office of Management and Budget to keep separate accounts for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) and the Department of Defense (DOD). This is an important step toward better fiscal accountability and would help prevent misallocation of resources.
Amd. 50 (260) Polis (D-CO) & Blumenauer (D-OR): This amendment would bring authorized funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Weapons Account in line with the Pentagon’s FY19 request, saving $200 million.
Amd. 94 (209) Yarmuth (D-KY): This amendment would require DOD to provide estimates of enduring costs funding with the OCO account, consistent with recommendations by the Government Accountability Office. A better understanding of how funds are dispersed and what spending constitutes a true contingency would help reduce wasteful spending and the propensity of OCO to be used as a slush-fund to avoid spending restrictions.
Amd. 144 (506) Schrader (D-OR), Welch (D-VT), Blum (R-IA), et al: This bipartisan, commonsense amendment would require DOD to report to Congress the ways they are finding and implementing recommendations in the 2015 Defense Business Board report or pursuing alternative measures to achieve cost-savings. The 2015 report, that cost $2.9 million to generate, laid out a strategy for saving $125 billion in personnel and technology costs over five years.
NTU urges all Representatives to vote “NO” on the following amendments:
Amd. 13 (422), McKinley (R-WV) AND Amd. 19 (380) Tenney (R-NY), Poliquin (R-ME), Katko (R-NY): These amendments, which would implement domestic sourcing restrictions for dinnerware and stainless steel flatware, are a step backward into the failed parochial politics of yesteryear. These reflect a disturbing trend toward artificially boosting domestic industries, rooted in misguided notions regarding the benefits of trade, and will increase costs for taxpayers. This kind of short-sighted rent-seeking also leaves fewer funds for true national security priorities.
Amd. 128 (401) Nolan (D-MN): This amendment would express the sense of Congress that a strong domestic iron ore and steel industry is vital to our national security. Asserting federal authority on behalf of specific industries, based on misguided notions on trade and industrial bases, creates protectionist policies that increase costs. Instead, Pentagon spending policies should be driven by project requirements and value added for taxpayers.
Roll call votes on the above amendments to H.R. 5515 will be included in our annual Rating of Congress.