National Security Act of 1947 Had Bipartisan Roots

Seventy years ago, Democratic President Harry S. Truman signed into law the National Security Act passed by a Republican Congress. No legislation in U.S. history more fundamentally altered the way security policy is made and executed. It established the Department of Defense, the Air Force as a separate service, the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency, and it gave permanent standing to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Bipartisan alliances capable of prioritizing national security spending and enacting meaningful legislation are as vital now as ever. We must demand leaders who can distinguish between fights over social issues or other partisan differences and protecting Americans. Calling for bipartisanship in today's political environment may seem like asking pigs to fly. We should not, however, recall 1947 as "the good old days" when the president and Congress could easily overcome partisan divides to pass important legislation, nor should we think bipartisanship is impossible today.