Rep. Ron Kind Statement on the National Defense Authorization Act

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) released the following statement today after voting against the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (H.R. 4435):

“This legislation misses the mark in three areas. It doesn’t reform our military force structure to meet present-day needs and budget realities, which ultimately weakens troop readiness.

“It lacks meaningful procurement reform, keeping us on the path of fiscal irresponsibility as we continue spending money on outdated weapons programs that the Pentagon doesn’t even want. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), weapons programs are $300 billion over budget.

“The bill also eliminates the biodiesel program from the military, making us more dependent on foreign oil. In light of unrest in places like Ukraine, it doesn’t make sense from an economic or security standpoint to make ourselves more dependent on foreign energy sources. It’s a shame that a few people opposed to biodiesel for political reasons were able to stand in the way of increasing our energy independence.”