{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://desjarlais.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/rep-scott-desjarlais-house-armed-services-committee-member-shapes-national", "REP. SCOTT DESJARLAIS, HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE MEMBER, SHAPES NATIONAL DEFENSE BILL, MOVING TO WHITE HOUSE FOR SIGNATURE", "2017-11-30", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Scott DesJarlais", "D000616", "desjarlais.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION MOVES TO WHITE HOUSE, STRENGTHENS U.S. DEFENSE\nHOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE MEMBER REP. SCOTT DESJARLAIS SHAPES LEGISLATION\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2018, a bipartisan House-Senate agreement to increase troop numbers, pay, benefits, training, and national security. The legislation will travel to the White House for President Donald Trump\u2019s signature, before it becomes law.\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Congressman Scott DesJarlais, M.D., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, responsible for drafting the annual NDAA, which sets military policy and spending levels, described today\u2019s ceremony in the Capitol as a major step towards fulfilling his, and the Commander-in-Chief\u2019s promise, to \u201cMake America Strong Again.\u201d\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The 2018 NDAA raises defense spending levels to restore depleted troop levels, as well as air, sea and land fleets, necessary to protect Americans at home and abroad. \u201cOur adversaries, such as Russia, Iran and China, have responded to budget uncertainty and military cuts with technological and geographic advances in Europe and Asia,\u201d said Rep. DesJarlais (TN-04).\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cProviding for the common defense is the federal government\u2019s number-one responsibility,\u201d he said, explaining Congress must now appropriate funding, requiring congressional Democrats to cease demands for equal increases in domestic discretionary spending.\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThe NDAA makes important changes to Defense Department acquisitions and auditing that would save taxpayers billions of dollars. I\u2019d like to see the same enthusiasm for eliminating bureaucracy and waste at federal agencies without the same constitutional mandate or dangerous mission,\u201d said the Congressman.\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He represents a district at the heart of the Aerospace and Defense Technology Corridor including Fort Campbell, Arnold Air Force Base, Redstone Arsenal and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where hypersonic, nuclear and unmanned aerial vehicle research and testing take place. Rep. Desjarlais worked to make improvements to those programs in the NDAA.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://desjarlais.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/rep-scott-desjarlais-house-armed-services-committee-member-shapes-national"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.0307640079408884, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}