Proposals Support Training, Address Military Obesity
Passed Amendment to Prevent Military Training Accidents Following Death of Constituent Army Specialist Panipinto
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan announced that six of his policy amendments were included in a House-passed government funding bill to fund the Department of Defense (DoD).
“These policies will support our troops and ensure that our military remains the world’s preeminent fighting force,” said Buchanan. “I’m grateful that my proposals passed the House and look forward to seeing them become law.”
Buchanan’s six proposals were included in the House-passed DoD appropriations bill. They include:
- An amendment to provide $3 million towards research to combat future military training accidents and research ways to prevent them. Buchanan has been a leading advocate in Congress for reforming current training procedures and improving emergency response capabilities in Congress after his constituent, Army Specialist Panipinto, died when the M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle he was driving overturned during a road-test in 2019 in South Korea.
- An amendment to provide $8 million to U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to increase formations’ access to resilient satellite equipment.
- An amendment to provide $1 million to the Navy to ensure the continuation of the Future Sailor Preparatory Course and boost Navy enlistment.
- An amendment to provide $2 million to the Army to ensure the continuation of the Army Body Composition Program and promote the military’s overall physical fitness.
- An amendment to provide $2 million towards research into technologies aimed at preventing future friendly fire incidents.
- An amendment to provide $1 million to the Defense Health Program to support research into effective strategies for reducing obesity among service members, with the goals of improving military readiness and capability.
All of these amendments were made budget-neutral by offsetting funding in different bureaucratic administrative spending accounts.
In January 2025, Buchanan saw eight of his legislative proposals signed into law at the end of the 118th Congress. These proposals, including proposals to enhance military readiness and expand healthcare options for service members, were included in the final version of the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
