Defending Our Defenders Act

Defending Our Defenders Act

This bill provides appropriations for pay and allowances for the military and supporting civilian and contractor personnel during a funding gap in which interim or full-year appropriations for the personnel accounts of the Armed Forces have not been enacted for the fiscal year.

The bill prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from furloughing any employee funded by a working-capital fund unless: (1) the fund is insolvent, or (2) the fund has insufficient funds to pay the employee. DOD may waive this restriction for national security.

If the public debt reaches the statutory limit, the following obligations must have equal priority over all other U.S. obligations:

• principal and interest on debt held by the public,
• pay and allowances for members of the Armed Forces on active duty,
• salaries for DOD civilian employees, and
• salaries for DOD contractors.

The funds and authorities provided by this bill are available until the earliest of January 1, 2016, or enactment of specified appropriations legislation.