Saxby Chambliss votes for his last Defense Authorization Act

U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga) cast the last vote of his political career on a defense bill on Thursday, helping pass the FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the U.S. Senate 89-11. The NDAA authorizes budget for the Department of Defense and the national security programs under the Department of Energy.

”While our military is faced with difficult budgetary decisions, we must ensure our troops are prepared to confront the serious threats and conflicts before our country today," said Chambliss in a statement. "This bill provides necessary resources to equip and protect our men and women in uniform and supports vital missions, including many in Georgia, that are critical to our national defense. I’m particularly proud that a provision I offered was included allowing members of the National Guard and Reserve forces to receive early retirement credit they have eaed through active duty service. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to all who sacrifice to keep our country safe, and this legislation improves the quality of life for our service members and their families.

I have worked on 20 defense authorization bills during my service in Congress, and I am proud of this legislation as the final defense bill of my career. 

Chambliss is the vice chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The part of the 2015 NDAA legislation that deals with the use of federal lands was controversial, because it accelerates the permit process for gas and oil drilling and funds new wildeess areas and national parks. The FY2015 budget for the Defense Department is $577.1 billion.

Chambliss is in his last month of the 20-year long political career. The senator gave his farewell speech on Thursday to a thunder of applause. He said he decided against running for reelection because of the increasingly paralyzing gridlock in Washington. Chambliss tried seeking compromise with Democrats on how to deal with the national debt as one of the lawmakers in the Gang of Six. His attempts met with loud disapproval from the very conservative wing of the Republican Party. Some conservative pundits and tea party activists promised Chambliss a primary challenge in 2016 for working with Democrats.