Members of Congress have sent a letter to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) asking that Congress stay in session for the year until it passes the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
In a Nov. 21 letter, 21 members of Congress, including Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), and Randy Forbes (R-Va.), wrote to express concern that Congress has not yet passed the bill.
House and Senate conferees working on a bill have not yet reached an agreement; Republican lawmakers are instead pursuing a continuing resolution that would extend current levels of government funding until next March 31, hoping to reach a deal under a new Donald Trump administration.
“This year’s NDAA includes vital provisions to restore readiness, reform military health care, extend counterterrorism authorities, and provided needed pay raises for our troops,” the letter said. “We must pass this critical legislation that supports our troops, veterans, and military families before adjourning.”
“We respectfully request that Congress resist any proposed adjournment before we pass this year’s NDAA,” the letter said.
The House version of the bill would authorize $13.3 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration, while the Senate legislation would authorize the agency $12.9 billion. Both versions seek authorization for $340 million to continue construction of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina – a project meant to convert 34 metric tons of weapon-usable plutonium into commercial nuclear fuel – which the White House has proposed to cancel in favor of an alternative plutonium dilution and disposal method.
