WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rand Paul this week introduced the following amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). These amendments are largely aimed at eliminating inefficiencies and wasted funds within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). As a fierce advocate for our nation’s armed forces, Sen. Paul believes these amendments will help ensure that DoD funds are spent on our most critical defense needs, as efficiently as possible. 

Below is the list of Sen. Paul’s amendments with summaries. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• Amendment No. 1543 – “Bonus for Cost Cutters”
  • Allows U.S. government agency’s inspector general to pay a bonus of up to $10,000 when a federal employee identifies surplus or unneeded funds; 90% of those savings go towards deficit reduction. 

• Amendment No. 1545 – Budget Point Order against appropriations for unauthorized programs
  • Creates a budget point of order against funding programs that have been expired for more than 5 years.
  • Forces Congress to eliminate appropriations for programs that do not have authorization.

• Amendment No. 1546 – Increase in transfer authority (Sequester Flexibility Act)
  • Grants U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) $50 billion in transfer authority between accounts to mitigate the effects of sequestration.

• Amendment No. 1547 – Bonus for Cost Cutters for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
  • Provides incentives for DoD contractors to save money including ability to keep a portion of their savings and contracting incentives for future contracts.

• Amendment No. 1548 – Eliminating duplicative programs
  • Allows the U.S. Secretary of Defense the ability to work with other government agencies to eliminate duplicative programs performed by other sectors of the government.

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