Statement on Signing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016
Issued 2015-11-25 by Barack Obama
Plain-English Overview
AI-generated summary explaining what this action does, who it affects, and why it matters
On November 25, 2015, President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, which authorizes funding and policies for the U.S. military. This came after he had vetoed an earlier version of the same bill because it failed to authorize adequate funding for the military in what he considered a fiscally responsible manner and would have prevented military reforms he supported. After Congress passed the separate Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which provided relief from automatic budget cuts (called sequestration) for both defense and non-defense spending, Congress revised the defense authorization bill to incorporate these new funding levels, making it acceptable for the President to sign.
The signed bill includes benefits for military personnel and their families, authorities for ongoing military operations around the world, reforms to the military retirement system, and other military compensation changes. It also codifies interrogation-related reforms from an earlier executive order that the President had issued. However, the bill renews restrictions on the Guantanamo Bay detention facility that the President opposed—specifically, it bars using federal funds to transfer detainees into the United States, to build or modify facilities in the U.S. to house them, and imposes additional restrictions on transferring detainees to foreign countries.
This matters because it shows the compromise between the President and Congress on defense spending and policy. While the President got the funding levels and military reforms he wanted, he had to accept continued restrictions on closing Guantanamo Bay, which he has repeatedly stated undermines national security and U.S. standing in the world. The bill affects all military personnel through its benefits and reforms, and it continues to shape U.S. detention policy for terrorism suspects.
AI-generated summary for educational purposes
Constitutional Analysis
How this action fits (or doesn't) within Article II authority and existing law
This signing statement ("Statement on Signing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016") was issued alongside a bill the President signed into law. The President's stated concerns: "The agreement in place helps ensure that relief from sequestration is paid for in a balanced way." Signing statements allow presidents to express constitutional or policy objections to specific provisions of legislation they have just signed. Their legal weight and constitutional propriety have been contested since the practice became common in the 1980s.
Critics — including the American Bar Association — argue that using signing statements to announce an intent to not enforce portions of a law effectively creates a line-item veto, which the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York (1998). Defenders argue presidents have a duty to identify constitutional concerns and that signing statements are a legitimate form of executive interpretation. The constitutional propriety depends on whether this specific statement announces non-enforcement or merely records the President's views.
Official Summary
Administration of Barack Obama, 2015 Statement on Signing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 November 25, 2015 Today I have signed into law S. 1356, the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016." I vetoed an earlier version of this legislation that failed to authorize funding for our national defense in a fiscally responsible manner. As I noted at the time, my first and most important responsibility, as President and Commander in Chief, is keeping the American people safe. The bill that the Congress originally presented to me was not acceptable. In addition to authorizing inadequate funding for our military, it would have prevented a range of necessary military reforms. It included language that would reenact, and in some cases expand, restrictions concerning the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay that I have repeatedly argued are counterproductive in the fight against terrorism. Following my veto of the previous bill, the Congress approved—and I have signed into law—the "Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015," which revises discretionary spending caps for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 by providing significant relief from sequestration for both defense and non-defense priorities. The agreement in place helps ensure that relief from sequest