Washington, DC – Today the U.S. Senate voted 73-26 to advance legislation that sets America’s defense policy and authorizes spending for the military, overcoming a key procedural hurdle. U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), said he was glad that senators from both sides of the aisle were able to come together to support the legislation, which would help strengthen the country’s national security and support the troops.
Along with prohibiting the transfer or release of Guantanamo detainees and preventing the reduction of our current ICMB force, Enzi said the bill includes legislative efforts he previously introduced in the Senate that would improve opportunities for small businesses competing for federal contracts. These changes would require agencies to credit small businesses for the past experience of their partners when competing for contracts and direct the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) in each agency to assist small businesses and make sure that contracts are not being structured to exclude them.
“This legislation is a win for our troops, for Wyoming, for small businesses and for the country,” Enzi said. “We still have a lot of work left to actually fund the government. I hope the support for this legislation is a sign that senators will be able to come together in the near future to support the spending bills that came out of the appropriations committee with almost 80 percent bipartisan support.”
The bill is expected to land on President Obama’s desk after the Senate takes a final vote on the legislation later this week. Though the bill authorizes defense spending at the amount Obama requested, he has threatened to veto the bill.