NewsBytes November 13, 2020
In this issue:
NDAA Final Passage Coming Soon
President Trump Dismisses SecDef Mark Esper
Monday Deadline for Your Comment on ANC Burial Restrictions
NDAA Final Passage Coming Soon
Both the House and Senate will be back in session next week. Key legislators will begin negotiations on the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation will soon go to conference committee to resolve the differences between the two versions (S.4049, H.R.6395) and create a final bill. Now is the time to let your elected officials know your concerns on such issues as:
• Adding diseases to list of diseases caused by exposure to Agent Orange herbicide ;
• Stopping scheduled cuts to military medical staff during the pandemic ;
• Waiving TRICARE Mail order co-pays during pandemic ;
• Stopping plan to exclude retirees and dependents from MTFs; and
• Supporting repeal of 180-day delay for retirees applying for DoD GS-13 and below .
Once the final bill is agreed to by the conference committee, it will be sent to both chambers. If approved by the House and Senate, it will be then sent to President Trump to be either signed into law or vetoed. This can happen very quickly once there is an agreement. So now is the time to use the FRA Action Center to weigh in on these critical issues.
President Trump Dismisses SecDef Mark Esper
President Trump dismissed Secretary of Defense (SecDef) Mark Esper with an abrupt announcement on Twitter. National Counterterrorism Center Director Christopher Miller will serve as acting SecDef making him the fifth Defense Secretary in less than four years.
Sen. James Inhofe (Okla.) Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a statement thanking Mark Esper for his service, “for prioritizing implementation of the National Defense Strategy, for thinking critically about how the Pentagon operates, and always putting our service members first.” Inhofe also indicated that he spoke with Christopher Miller about moving forward with the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that legislators may pass during the upcoming lame duck session. He was an honor graduate from the Army’s Ranger School, an Army War College fellow with the CIA and a Special Forces battalion commander during the height of the Iraq war.
Deadline for Public Comment on ANC Burial Restrictions Ends on Monday
As noted in the October 9th NewsBytes, the deadline for public comment on proposed burial restrictions for Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) ends Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. Acting Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy recommended restrictions to eligibility criteria in September 2019, for burial at ANC that will include military retirees for above-ground inurnment. The FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act directed the Secretary of the Army to revise eligibility criteria to keep the cemetery functioning as an active burial ground “well into the future” – defined as 150 years.
The Fleet Reserve Association surveyed its members regarding proposed changes to eligibility criteria for burial at ANC that will include military retirees for only above-ground inurnment. Most members responding to the survey opposed this restriction. Many retirees believe that twenty or more years of arduous military service has earned them the option to be provided an in-ground burial at ANC.
Before implementing the proposed rule, the ANC must allow for public comment on the proposed rule in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act. The FRA has shared these survey results with the ANC and with key members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. The Association has also signed onto a Military Coalition (TMC) letter. The letter recommends grandfathering those currently eligible and conducting non-contiguous expansion to ensure ANC can operate with full military honors well into the future. The TMC is a group of organizations representing more than 5.5 million past and present members of the uniformed services, as well as their families and survivors.
Members wanting to submit a comment for the record can go online. FRA members can also use the FRA Action Center to weigh in on this issue with their legislators.
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