Today, Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) stood up for veterans and America’s military by voting for the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)  for Fiscal Year 2019. Gottheimer also successfully passed an amendment to the bill, which will honor the victims of the Holocaust and the Allied Troops who liberated Nazi concentration camps on the 75th Anniversary of World War II.
 
The bill includes key provisions to provide for our troops and their families, including raising military pay by 2.6 percent. In addition, it requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish a prescription drug monitoring program and share information with state prescription monitoring programs in order to prevent opioid abuse within the military. The bill renews the authority to provide assistance to counter the Islamic State and authorizes $850 million in assistance in Iraq for the upcoming fiscal year.
 
“There is no responsibility I take more seriously than protecting the United States and standing up for those who have risked their lives to do so. The NDAA will give America’s military the resources they need to fight terror and keep Americans safe at home and abroad.  I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their support for this critical legislation,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “As we equip and prepare our servicemembers to carry out their mission and defend our country, we also proudly commemorate our brave World War II veterans, and pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. At a time when knowledge about the Holocaust — especially among young people — is beginning to fade, it is more important than ever for our government to commemorate the Holocaust and educate citizens about its history.”
 
This year’s NDAA directs the Secretary of Defense to conduct a program to commemorate the 75th anniversary of World War II. Gottheimer’s amendment, cosponsored by his colleagues Representative Ted Deutch of Florida and Representative Brad Schneider of Illinois, who serve on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, would include a remembrance of the Holocaust as part of that program, and require the Secretary of Defense to consult with the Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in designing the program.