Aguilar Passes Four Amendments through House of Representatives
Today, the House of Representatives approved four amendments submitted by Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-31) that were included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, which outlines the country’s defense priorities. The four amendments will help put veterans back to work, create a review process to encourage more minority students to pursue STEM careers, improve accessibility of Department of Defense (DOD) contracting opportunities for small businesses, and to support the San Bernardino County International Airport.
“When I took office in January, I promised to stand up for working families and support initiatives that strengthen the middle class, which is precisely what these amendments will do. From sharing California’s model of putting veterans back to work to encouraging deserving women, minority, and disabled candidates to join the STEM workforce—these are the middle-class priorities I promised to fight for,” said Rep. Aguilar.
He added, “My amendments also respond to the themes I heard on my Jobs Tour, including improving communication between small businesses and the federal government and addressing local security concerns that affect regional transportation and infrastructure. This is what I came to Congress to do—to put veterans back to work, to help small business owners succeed, to encourage our students to excel, and to fix our local infrastructure. I’m honored to represent the people of California’s 31st district, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that middle-class families always have a seat at the table.”
The amendments were agreed to unanimously during the Armed Services Committee markup of the bill and during floor consideration. Rep. Aguilar voted in favor of H.R. 1735, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016. The bill passed the house on a 269 to 151 vote.
Representative Aguilar serves on the House Armed Services Committee and he sits on the Subcommittees on Strategic Forces and Emerging Threats and Capabilities. He is also a member of the Work for Warriors Caucus.
