Today, Congressman Andrew Clyde (GA-09) released the following statement after the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 last night by a vote of 363-70:

“As a 28-year Navy veteran who served three combat tours in Kuwait and Iraq, I strongly believe funding, equipping, and supporting our military is paramount to the security of our great nation. With threats increasing from adversaries across the globe, this year’s NDAA bolsters our capabilities to properly counter threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and radical terrorist organizations. 

“No matter the mission, our brave men and women in uniform answer the call to protect our national interests and preserve our precious freedoms. We owe it to our troops to deliver the support and resources they need, which is why I am pleased that this NDAA provides a well-deserved 2.7% pay increase to our servicemembers and makes historic investments in future warfighter technologies.

“I sincerely commend my Republican colleagues on the House and Senate Armed Service Committees for successfully working with Democrats to remove the poison pills that, as a staunch conservative, I could never support, including the proposed office of Countering Extremism, the proposed ‘Red Flag’ laws, and the requirement for women to register for Selective Service. Now that those partisan provisions have been eliminated, I am proud to support the final passage of this year’s NDAA, which strengthens our nation’s readiness to ensure that we have the most lethal military force in the world.”

Background: 

Specifically, the conferenced FY22 NDAA: 

• Boosts topline defense spending by $25 billion to reverse President Biden’s woefully underfunded budget
• Provides a 2.7% pay raise for and expanded benefits for military families 
• Ensures historic investments in emerging technology, like AI, quantum computing, and hypersonic weapons
• Secures funding to defend our allies from Russian aggression, including $300 million for the Ukraine Security Alliance Initiative and $4 billion for the European Deterrence Initiative fund
• Invests $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative in preparing our military to prevail in conflict with China
• Establishes that it is the policy of U.S. to maintain the ability to resist Chinese efforts to seize control of Taiwan
• Prohibits a dishonorable discharge for servicemembers who refuse a COVID-19 vaccination and requires uniform procedures for vaccine exemptions
• Removed language requiring women to register for Selective Service at 18 years of age
• Eliminated language establishing an Office of Countering Extremism that would have created an ideological litmus test for servicemembers in violation of their First Amendment rights
• Removed dangerous “Red Flag” language that could strip servicemembers’ and veterans’ Second Amendment rights. 

Additional provisions may be found in the bill text HERE.

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