President Donald J. Trump promised the American people that he would restore our national security. Today, Congress is taking action on the President’s request that it carry out his commitment to our military. The Administration commends the House of Representatives for passing the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 5515, the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, and encourages its swift passage in the Senate.

The Conference Report supports the President’s request for a pay raise for our troops and rebuilds the military to deter adversaries and maintain the Administration’s posture of peace through strength. It also takes positive steps that are consistent with the Administration’s commitment to maintaining a strong and resilient manufacturing and defense industrial base.

By supporting key components of the Administration’s National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy, both of which focus on a return to principled realism in an era of great power competition, the FY 2019 NDAA enhances the President’s ability to defend the Nation. It also supports key components of the Administration’s Nuclear Posture Review, South Asia Strategy, vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and ongoing operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Conference Report’s topline authorization levels for base national defense funding and Overseas Contingency Operations funding are consistent with the levels requested in the FY 2019 President’s Budget and enacted in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

The FY 2019 NDAA keeps faith with Israel, fully authorizing the Administration request for co-development and co-production of missile defense systems. It supports the European Deterrence Initiative, strengthening the posture of the United States in Europe and bolstering our European allies against the threat of Russian aggression. Finally, the Administration appreciates the Conference Report’s inclusion of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (FIRRMA), which achieves the twin aims of protecting our national security and preserving our long-standing open investment policy. It also welcomes language recognizing the ongoing and wrongful detainment of Andrew Brunson and Serkan Golge.