WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement on the inclusion of two Klobuchar-led amendments in the bipartisan 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Senator’s amendments would improve training for Veterans Affairs (VA) personnel overseeing PTSD claims and mandate the U.S. Air Force maintain a minimum of 271 C-130 aircraft. The Senate will vote later today to advance the bill.
“The men and women who answered the call to serve our country need the best tools to do their jobs and timely access to the care they need after they finish their service,” said Klobuchar. “I worked to secure these provisions in the defense bill to strengthen our military readiness and support our country’s veterans. They will ensure the Air Force maintains C-130 aircraft, which are vital assets to Minnesota’s 133rd Airlift Wing, and improve the VA’s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) claims process so veterans experiencing PTSD can access essential care. I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass a strong defense bill that protects our national security and does right by our troops.”
The 2024 NDAA includes Klobuchar and Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Tina Smith’s (D-MN) bipartisan amendment to ensure the Air Force maintains at least 271 C-130 aircraft. These planes are used to carry out critical missions at home and overseas and are essential to the Minnesota National Guard’s 133rd Airlift Wing.
In last year’s NDAA, Klobuchar secured language that required the Air Force and Reserves to operate at least 271 C-130 aircrafts, ensuring the Minnesota National Guard did not lose any C-130 aircrafts.
In addition, the NDAA includes Klobuchar and Senator Rounds’s (R-SD) VA Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Processing Claims Improvement Act, which will ensure veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are able to get the care and compensation they need, while improving training for those processing PTSD claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Klobuchar and Rounds reintroduced the legislation earlier this year.
Klobuchar has long worked to support our veterans.
Last year, Klobuchar worked to successfully pass the SFC Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act, historic legislation that will deliver comprehensive relief to all generations of veterans who were exposed to toxins for the first time in our nation’s history. The legislation, signed into law last August, included Klobuchar and Senator Mike Crapo's (R-ID) Toxic Exposure Training Act, a bipartisan bill to improve education and training for Department of Veterans Affairs health care personnel to treat illnesses related to exposure to burn pits and other toxic substances.
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