William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021
Latest action. Message on Senate action sent to the House.
William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021
This bill authorizes FY2021 appropriations and sets forth policies for the Department of Defense (DOD) and other programs and activities. It does not provide budget authority, which is provided in subsequent appropriations legislation.
The bill authorizes appropriations to DOD for
Procurement, including aircraft, weapons and tracked combat vehicles, shipbuilding and conversion, and missiles;
Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation;
Operation and Maintenance;
Working Capital Funds;
Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction;
Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities;
the Defense Inspector General;
the National Defense Sealift Fund;
the Defense Health Program;
the Armed Forces Retirement Home;
the Space Force;
Overseas Contingency Operations; and
Military Construction.
The bill also authorizes the FY2021 personnel strengths for active duty and reserve forces and sets forth policies regarding
military personnel;
acquisition policy and management;
international programs;
National Guard and Reserve Force facilities;
compensation and other personnel benefits;
health care;
matters relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019);
DOD organization and management;
civilian personnel matters;
matters relating to foreign nations; and
strategic programs, space activities, cyber operations, and intelligence matters.
The bill authorizes appropriations for base realignment and closure activities, and maritime matters.
The bill authorizes appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Energy national security programs, including the National Nuclear Security Administration.
The bill also sets forth policies regarding certain federal activities related to artificial intelligence, including implementation by the President of a National Artificial Intelligence Initiative to support research and development, education, and training programs.
The bill establishes measures related to financial intelligence, anti-money laundering, and countering the financing of terrorism. These include expanding information sharing requirements among agencies that are tasked with administering efforts to counter money laundering and the financing of terrorism, as well as authorizing training and technical assistance to facilitate these measures.
The bill reauthorizes and sets forth policies for the Coast Guard, including measures related to its personnel and organization. It also addresses other maritime matters such as navigation, shipping, and ports.
The summary continues for 11 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Public Law" stage on January 1, 2021. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Civibrief does not map this action to a stage in the process. See the official record.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.
The record's latest action, on January 2, 2021: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one has no outstanding steps listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
ADAM SMITH (D-WA) introduced it on March 26, 2020, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 26, 2020, 2359 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2077 days ago, on January 2, 2021.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseMessage on Senate action sent to the House.
- SenateNot stated in the latest action
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action