House, Senate reach agreement on NDAA, eye key votes this week

SIMI VALLEY, CA -- House and Senate lawmakers have concluded prolonged negotiations over a fiscal year 2020 defense policy bill, paving the way for votes in both chambers beginning as soon as this week, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee Mac Thornberry (R-TX) announced here today.

“We have reached agreement on this year's defense authorization bill,” Thornberry said in remarks at the Reagan National Defense Forum here, eliciting vigorous applause from the audience here of defense industry and national security experts. “The House will vote on a Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act as soon as Wednesday and in the Senate shortly thereafter.”

“My request to you is: Whatever your role, whatever levers of influence you have use them and help the [House] appropriators get the appropriations bill passed before Dec. 21,” Thornberry said.

The federal government is currently operating on a stopgap spending measure that expires on Dec. 20.