Washington, DC – The U.S. Senate has passed the National Defense Authorization Act, legislation that will authorize funding for defense programs in the year ahead. Among other things, the legislation will provide funding for the construction of two Virginia-class submarines – an important priority for the defense industry in Rhode Island. It also includes two provisions authored by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Whitehouse’s Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act was included as an amendment to the bill after a voice vote last week. It would support the coordination of research on forms of cancer which are difficult to detect and have persistently low survival rates, such as pancreatic cancer and lung cancer.
Also included in the defense bill was a Whitehouse measure supporting the Department of Defense’s ongoing efforts to track military assets, which will save taxpayer dollars and help prevent counterfeit military items from entering the supply chain. The measure was strongly supported by A2B Tracking, a Rhode Island company that manufactures unique identification technology for the military as well as tracking software which could be used to prevent the distribution of counterfeit products.
“I am pleased that we were able to get these two important provisions included in this year’s defense authorization bill, and I thank Senators Levin and McCain for running the fair and transparent amendment process that made it possible,” Whitehouse said.
One other amendment offered by Whitehouse, which would have acknowledged the threats that climate change poses for our national security, was not included in the final defense legislation.
###
