Donald Norcross: “I thank the chairman for yielding, for his leadership through this tough conference, and for bringing this bill to the…”

“I thank the chairman for yielding, for his leadership through this tough conference, and for bringing this bill to the floor. Madam Speaker, this bill continues the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee's long tradition of bipartisan work to make America's land and air forces the best in the world. I also thank our subcommittee ranking member, Mrs. Hartzler, for her commitment and contributions to this process and upholding that tradition of bipartisan work. Our cooperation has kept us focused on what is truly important. We have delivered a defense bill that addresses the modernization and readiness requirement of our Nation's air and land forces. At the same time, this bill includes bipartisan provisions that allow for aggressive oversight of the Department's largest and most complex, expensive, and risky programs to protect the taxpayer and support our military. This bill also manages risk in our American defense industrial base by providing additional funds for the Army Chinook helicopter, armored vehicles, and trucks. This bill includes long-overdue changes that improve the quality of life for our men and women in uniform, the workforce that supports them, and the families who serve right beside them. This bill provides 12 weeks paid parental leave for those workers across the Federal Government and includes a 3.1 percent pay increase for our military servicemembers.…”