Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) was satisfied with the upper chamber’s passage of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization (FY 24 NDAA) Act. A plethora of Sen. Scott’s amendments were included in NDAA, including his measure that prohibits federal agencies from buying and operating Chinese-made drones, known as the American Security Drone Act of 2023.
“Florida is home to thousands of brave men and women who wake up every day and put on the uniform, and it is my goal to ensure Washington works for them. I am very proud of the progress we made in this year’s NDAA and the big wins we got for Florida, which means big wins for our national security,” stated Sen. Scott.
He would go on to mention, “I am pleased to share that my initiative to block Chinese drones, used as spyware by the Chinese Communist Party, from being purchased by federal agencies was included in this year’s package. Importantly, the legislation we passed in the Senate provides for a 5.2% raise for our service members. I look forward to this legislation heading over for consideration in the House and becoming law.”
Moreover, the newest version of the NDAA will improve upon Florida’s military installations and provide a 5.2% pay raise to support U.S. servicemembers.
Additionally, the NDAA included Scott’s Secure Adjacent Federal Property Act, as well as the Eradicating Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National Yearly Losses of Life (END FENTANYL) Act.
The latter calls for the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to improve and reform its approach every three years to “ensure drug interdiction guidance is up to date.” According to a 2019 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the last time the interdiction guidance was updated was two decades ago.
In addition to the updated policies every three years, the bill requires a report from the Commissioner of CBP to be sent to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Homeland Security Committee in the House of Representatives.
“For too long, the fentanyl crisis has plagued our communities and caused crushing heartbreak to those who lose loved ones to these dangerous drugs. As fentanyl continues to flow illegally into the U.S. over the southern border and kill tens of thousands of our citizens, we must do more to support our brave CBP agents, and all who are on the front lines of this battle to ensure they have every tool needed to keep these dangerous drugs out of our communities,” stated Scott.
The NDAA will make its way to the House of Representatives.
