The long-fought battle to rid the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of Democrat poison pills wrapped up this week as the defense funding bill passed both houses of Congress. The bill will now go to the President’s desk and become law. I chose to vote for this bill because it is a clean and straightforward funding for our national defense that commits to supporting our troops and strengthening our national security.
My Republican colleagues and I fought hard to defeat the Democrat-proposed poison pill provisions. This NDAA includes absolutely NO infringement on the Second Amendment or so-called “red flag” laws. It prevents our daughters from being drafted and blocks the Biden Administration from forcing our troops to take classes on extremism. The bill budgets well-deserved pay raises for military members and provides for military families, directs additional National Guard resources toward border security, and holds the Biden Administration accountable for abandoning American citizens and Afghan partners.
Republican pressure delivered a clean defense bill with a $25 billion boost to the topline—despite President Biden’s efforts to cut funding for our military. As China continues to build and expand their technological and military capabilities, we must remain focused on the clear and present threats in front of us. The NDAA allows our military to make the necessary investments in the next generation fighting force that will hold our adversaries at bay and reassure our allies and partners of American strength and resolve.
I am proud a bill I authored, which delivers accountability for the Afghanistan evacuation, was included in the NDAA. My amendment requires the Secretary of Defense, along with the Director of National Intelligence, to conduct a threat assessment of prisoners released from two detention facilities in Afghanistan that housed ISIS and al-Qaida fighters. The secretary of defense will have 60 days following the NDAA being signed into law to compile the report, which will then be due annually until 2026.
The 2022 NDAA provides the American people the candor they deserve, and it ensures that our country will remain strong and secure. I will always support our troops and vote to fully fund our military. I am proud to have worked on this bill and I look forward to seeing it signed into law.
>> U.S. Representative August Pfluger (R-Texas)
