Skip to Content

Press Releases

Presidential Veto Would Punish Military Families and Students

Earlier this week, House Speaker John Boehner signed the National Defense Authorization Act, legislation that provides critical resources to help ensure a strong national defense. Despite bipartisan support for the plan, the administration has promised an unprecedented veto that would put America’s troops and national security in jeopardy. Why?

According to a White House spokesperson, the president “will not fix defense without adjusting non-defense spending.” In other words, the president is “taking the military hostage” until Congress increases spending on the president’s domestic priorities, like pouring more taxpayer resources into the IRS, EPA, and NLRB.

Maybe the president has forgotten that by vetoing the National Defense Authorization Act, he will threaten critical education support families and students need, and support that is vital to our nation’s military readiness.

The bill sitting on the president’s desk provides $30 million – the same amount he requested in his budget – to certain school districts serving military families here in the United States and overseas. Here’s what’s at stake if the president makes good on his promise to veto this bipartisan legislation:

  • Financial assistance that provides students access to an education as members of their family serve in the military;
  • Opportunities for children with severe disabilities to receive critical special education services; and
  • Support to ensure students who attend schools on military bases overseas are not forced to pay higher prices for meals than students in the United States.

These policies reflect a larger bipartisan commitment to support our troops, their families, and the communities serving them. Should the president’s veto threat become a reality, dedicated military families will pay the price. As the Wall Street Journal editorial board writes,

The NDAA has passed for 53 years in a row, making it a rare display of bipartisanship … It’s hard to find a worse example of Washington dysfunction than a Commander in Chief, backed by fellow Democrats, who is willing to punish the military so he can break the little fiscal discipline that Congress has.

At a time when the American people expect Washington to advance their priorities, vetoing a bill that will help keep the homeland safe and support our military families would be a major step in the wrong direction.

# # #

Stay Connected