On Tuesday, December 8, The House of Representatives passed the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report by a vote of 335-78. The Senate approved it on December 11 by a similarly bipartisan vote of 84-13. 

The conference report includes many FMA priorities we supported throughout the legislative process. Of major significance, the bill allows federal workers to carry over additional leave into 2021 due to the exigencies of the Covid-19 pandemic, by raising the cap 25 percent. FMA has worked tirelessly with legislators to address this issue since May 2020.

Additionally, the compromise NDAA bill extends paid parental leave to feds who were initially inadvertently left out last year, including Title 38 and Title 49 employees. FMA supported the initial creation of paid parental leave, as well as the technical fix included in this year’s bill.

The NDAA, an annual must-pass defense policy bill, has passed every year since 1961. 

The bill includes a 3 percent raise for uniformed service members. FMA strongly supports this well-deserved raise, and firmly believes that the longstanding tradition of preserving pay parity between uniformed military and civilian civil servants should be upheld. You can read more about the prospects for a 2021 pay raise for civilians elsewhere in this report.  

It is important to note President Trump has threatened to veto this year’s NDAA due to issues unrelated to the federal employee provisions. Leaders of both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have rejected these concerns as non-germane to the NDAA. The 335 votes the NDAA received in the House and 84 votes it received in the Senate are enough to withstand a veto. 

At this point, we expect the NDAA will pass into law, although it is not a done deal. A bipartisan statement by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) and Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-TX) last week stated their preference for a special session of Congress, if necessary, to override President Trump’s potential veto. FMA strongly supports the passage of this must-pass piece of legislation and we will keep you posted on all major developments.