Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL) voted for the adoption of the Conference Report to Accompany S. 1790, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, issuing the following statement:

“Today I joined my colleagues to pass this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. The bill provides a well-deserved pay raise for our troops, implements a National Defense Strategy to confront our foremost adversaries, and provides support and assistance for the families of our armed forces,” said Blunt Rochester. “I am pleased that a number of priorities that I have been fighting for throughout this Congress made it into the final package, including repealing the widow’s tax, encouraging the expansion of the Space Available flights program, and requiring a report to Congress on the impact of expanding the program. I am, however, very disappointed that this package did not include a comprehensive set of protections from PFAS contamination. We are facing a public health crisis from PFAS in Delaware. We’ve seen the urgency and severity of this problem in Blades, New Castle, and at the Dover Air Force Base. The NDAA was an important opportunity to address this crisis and I’m disappointed that Congress chose not to take advantage of it.

Despite that, I am happy that the bill included the Safe Drinking Water Assistance Act that I introduced in the House and that Senator Shaheen has championed in the Senate. It is an important first step in addressing emerging contaminants in our drinking water systems and provides much-needed assistance for our local communities.” 

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