May 16, 2016

Dear Member,

Because of your role on the Committee on Rules, we, the undersigned, are writing to request you make in order three amendments to H.R. 4909, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017. These amendments would, if passed, put us on a path to better fiscal discipline which is important to each of our organizations which represent citizens on both the Right and the Left.

Congress’ role is to make the hard choices about authorizing funds to keep our nation secure, and our organizations believe we need to make the best choices possible. To better support our war fighters, every dollar must be spent wisely.  As you consider the Rule for H.R. 4909, we would like you to make in order the following amendments to help right our financial ship:

No. 21 Smith (D-WA): Strikes Section 2702 of the bill and replaces it with a new provision authorizing a fair, transparent process to allow the Department of Defense to consolidate, close, or realign military installations within the United States and realize efficiencies and savings that can be reinvested into critical military readiness and modernization initiatives. 

No. 22 Gosar (R-AZ), Speier (D-CA): Allows for the procurement of two Littoral Combat Ships in fiscal year 2017, as requested by the Department of the Navy, and prohibits budget authorization for the procurement of a third Littoral Combat Ship using Overseas Contingency Operations funds.

No. 213 Mulvaney (R-SC)-Van Hollen (D-MD): Codifies criteria developed by the Office of Management and Budget in 2010 to clarify when military spending should be designated as contingency operations and properly be part of the Overseas Contingency Operations budget.

Thank you for your consideration.  As organizations across the political spectrum who closely follow the defense authorization process, we urge you to use this opportunity to set a stronger, better, and more sustainable path for our national security.

Sincerely,