Rep. Takano Votes to Override President Trump’s Veto of the NDAA
Washington, D.C. – Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released this statement after voting to override President Trump’s veto of the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“President Trump vetoed the NDAA over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a policy that he is massively misinformed about that has nothing to do with the underlying legislation. I voted to override his veto because the Fiscal Year 2021 NDAA includes important provisions that will provide veterans with long-overdue access to benefits and protect jobs in my district,” said Rep. Mark Takano. “As Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I was able to successfully include a provision to provide benefits to Vietnam-era veterans exposed to Agent Orange. We were finally able to add three new diseases to the presumptive list for Agent Orange exposure, which could ensure that more than 34,000 veterans will have access to the care and benefits they’ve earned. I also fought to secure language that will help protect nearly 300 jobs at March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley. This vote to override this veto is about putting our veterans and our national security above the President’s temper tantrums.”
As Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Rep. Takano helped negotiate a provision that will provide long-overdue benefits to Vietnam-Era veterans exposed to Agent Orange, including adding Parkinsonism, bladder cancer, and hypothyroidism to the list of diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange. This work builds on the monumental passage of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 and foreshadows future work the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will be doing in the 117th Congress.?
Rep. Mark Takano was also able to secure a provision in the NDAA to protect nearly 300 jobs at March Air Reserve Base. The language included in NDAA prohibits DMA from consolidating or transitioning to any alternative content delivery methods until the Secretary of Defense submits to Congress its justification for and risk mitigation efforts regarding safety risks posed to servicemembers and their families; vulnerabilities of new content delivery methods; technological limitations; and financial liabilities or costs to servicemembers. The language also stipulates that no consolidation or transition may occur before 180 days after this report is submitted to Congress.
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