Washington, D.C. (RELEASE) December 11th, 2023 — Today, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman announced that she will be voting NO on an upcoming vote to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Hageman was chosen to be a conferee in negotiations between the House and Senate that was designed to work through differences between each chamber’s version of the bill. Unfortunately, Rep. Hageman was not actually consulted on any of the areas within the jurisdiction of her assignment.
Rep. Hageman stated, “I have refused to sign off on the NDAA as a conferee, as I was never consulted and simply handed a 3,000 page bill that I was expected to support. I am voting no on the bill because it was a bad process which has resulted in bad legislation.
“While the NDAA does not itself appropriate money, it authorizes levels for which appropriations (spending) follows. This year’s topline authorization level is $886 billion – up from $858 billion in FY23. The bill also includes a clean extension of FISA through April, which is contrary to and undermines the FISA reauthorization bill recently passed by Judiciary Committee by a vote of 35-2, while making no reforms to surveillance authorities we know are being abused in violation of the 4th amendment.
“The bill is remarkable in what it does not do – it does not end the Biden administration’s abortion travel fund (even though it is a violation of federal law), does not include a prohibition on funding and furthering “gender transition” surgeries for members of the military, does not eliminate the military’s chief diversity officers, does not ban drag shows at military installations, and does not counter Biden’s radical green bad deal climate agenda. It also weakens the House provisions for a special Inspector General for Ukraine aid and does not include my amendment for oversight of the Ukraine lend-lease program that was passed by the House. All these items were included in the House’s version of the NDAA that was passed and sent to conference for debate and discussion.
“We cannot continue to be jammed by bad Senate policy through a conference process where House passed legislation is ignored or amended to be so watered down that it is useless.”
