Vet Voice Foundation statement on Senate passage of clean NDAA

WASHINGTON, DC (August 1, 2018) –  Over the past several weeks, veterans have voiced their stern opposition to harmful anti-environmental riders  – fueled by political motives – unnecessarily delaying the passing of the defense bill that supports our men and women in uniform. Today, the Senate listened to veterans, and passed the National Defense Authorization Act free from a rider that would have impacted the future survival of the greater sage grouse and protection of the sagebrush habitat across the western United States.

“Today’s vote in the Senate ends weeks of needless drama, which saw timely action on an essential defense authorization bill hung up by debate about the fate of a chicken-sized bird. We are pleased to see that the Senate has voted to pass a defense that does not include a highly controversial rider on sage grouse and species that would have jeopardized partnerships between federal agencies, states, the military and other stakeholders. This was not the first time we saw military funding commitments dragged down by this issue—but we hope it will be the last. We owe it to the men and women who serve our country to not let this rider or other anti-environmental, anti-wildlife and anti-public lands riders having nothing to do with national security be allowed into future defense bills,” said retired Major General Paul Eaton, managing director of Vet Voice Foundation.