[Congressman Dave Loebsack sent this response to a query about his vote for the National Defense Authorization Act. If you question what our elected officials are doing in Washington, contacting them is easy and they usually respond to constituent questions. Blog for Iowa encourages you to get involved in our participatory democracy.]

September 6, 2011
Washington, DC

Dear Constituent:

Thank you for contacting me about the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (HR 1540). I’m honored to represent you. Your opinion is very important to me and my priority is to provide Iowa’s Second District with the best representation possible.

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I help write the National Defense Authorization Act, which is the defense policy bill, each year. This bill is very important to our troops and military families because it is central to making sure that the correct policies are in place to ensure they are served by a grateful nation with the same dedication with which they serve us. The bill also sets out policies regarding development and purchasing of equipment as well as policies regarding issues relating to military operations overseas.

My top priority as a member of the Armed Services Committee is ensuring that our men and women in uniform have the training, facilities, equipment, support, and benefits they and their families deserve. That is why, during consideration of the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) earlier this year, I worked to provide a pay raise for our troops, to ensure our National Guard has the equipment they need to safely carry out their missions both at home for disaster response as well as when they deploy overseas, and that our deployed troops have the body armor and protected vehicles they need to keep them safe.

During consideration of this bill, several provisions that I offered were included with bipartisan support. Over the last decade, the National Guard and Reserve have deployed in unprecedented numbers. Meanwhile, economic and employment difficulties here at home have weighed particularly heavily on military families and members of the Guard and Reserve. Sadly, the suicide rate for the reserve components increased drastically in 2010, particularly in the Army National Guard, and almost half of the Army National Guard Soldiers who committed suicide had never deployed. It is strikingly clear that we need to get mental health resources to our reserve components. That’s why I introduced the bipartisan Embedded Mental Health Providers for Reserves Act (HR 948), which was included in the FY 2012 NDAA. This bill would help to address the need for mental health services by embedding mental health providers with Guard and Reserve units during their drill weekends and family readiness events. By having consistent access to a mental health provider at their training locations, the National Guard and Reserve will have better access to mental health care and the stigma associated with seeking out such care will be reduced.

In addition, I worked with my colleague Congressman Bobby Schilling (R-IL) to include critically needed provisions that will allow the Rock Island Arsenal to enter into public-private partnerships. At no cost to the taxpayer, these public private partnerships will support good paying jobs; promote economic development; enhance the future of the Arsenal; and provide employers with opportunities to advance their products through collaboration with the Arsenal and access to its state of the art equipment and high quality workforce.

I also supported an amendment that was based on a bill that I’m an original cosponsor of, the Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act (HR 1735). This amendment would have required the President to provide a plan and timeframe for the accelerated transition of combat operations to Afghan authorities. In addition, it would have required a new National Intelligence Estimate on the leadership, locations and capabilities of al Qaeda so that we gather updated information on where the threats to our country exist. Unfortunately, this bipartisan amendment failed by a narrow margin.

I supported passage of the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act because of the critical provisions included in it that will provide for our men and women in uniform, military families, and national security. However, I voted against several provisions in the bill that concerned me greatly. One of them was a provision that would replace the current Authorization of Use of Military Force – which guides operations overseas – with a new, open-ended authorization meant to replace the one adopted immediately after the 9/11 attacks. The provision authorizes the President to use force against any nation, organization, or person associated with terrorist groups but does so without clearly specifying an enemy, place, or timeframe for such an authorization. This is a much broader authorization than the one passed in 2001 that has since guided operations not just in Afghanistan but also in other locations where al Qaeda is based. The 2001 authorization was targeted to those nations, organizations or persons the President determined planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. While it may be necessary to update the Authorization in order to keep pace with current threats, I believe this issue should be discussed, debated, and considered much further in order to ensure that any such authorization best protects our nation while also upholding the principals upon which our country was founded.

The FY 2012 NDAA is currently awaiting consideration in the Senate. As consideration of the bill continues to move forward, please be assured I will work to improve this provision and others to ensure we best provide for our troops and our national security.

Thank you again for contacting me about this important issue. My office is here to assist you with any and all concerns you have, so please do not hesitate to contact me whenever you feel that I can be of assistance. I encourage you to visit my website at http://www.loebsack.house.gov and sign up for my e-newsletters to stay informed of the work I’m doing for you. I am proud to serve the Second District, and I am committed to working hard for Iowans.

Dave Loebsack
Iowa’s Second District