House Speaker Mike Johnson praised chamber members for passing the annual National Defense Authorization Act, saying that its provisions will "refocus the Pentagon on military lethality, not radical woke ideology."
"Today's passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes important wins for our troops and ensures our military has the necessary resources and support to defend our great nation," the Louisiana Republican said in a statement Wednesday. "Our men and women in uniform should know their first obligation is protecting our nation, not woke ideology."
He added that it is "disappointing" that 124 Democrats voted against the act and "against our brave men and women in uniform over policies that have nothing to do with their intended mission."
The act includes several provisions on spending, prohibiting contracts with advertising firms such as NewsGuard Technologies, which "blacklist conservative news sources," said Johnson.
"This legislation permanently bans transgender treatment for minors, prohibits critical race theory in military academies, ends the DEI bureaucracy, and combats antisemitism," the speaker said.
The NDAA, he said, will focus the military's attention on the core mission of defending the United States, including supporting law enforcement operations and the deployment of the National Guard to the southern border, while expediting innovation and reducing the time for acquisition of new weapons.
It also allows the United States to support its allies and strengthens the nation's nuclear posture and missile defense programs, while providing the military with the tools needed to confront "increasingly hostile threats" from China, Russia, and Iran, said Johnson.
"Because we believe in peace through strength, we blocked the Biden administration's plan to reduce the number of U.S. special forces," he added.
The legislation also serves to make "landmark" investments in the quality of life for members of the military and their families through providing "significant pay increases to our servicemembers, reducing barriers to employment for military spouses, and improving military housing and access to childcare," said Johnson.
Highlights of the defense bill include:
- Giving junior enlisted servicemembers a 14.5% pay raise.
- Supporting the deployment of the National Guard at the southwest border to intercept illegal aliens and drugs.
- Sections that address security threats from China, including preventing Chinese espionage in the United States military, supply chains, and research institutions.
- Expanding U.S.-Israel military exercises and fully funding cooperative missile defense programs.
- Increasing funding for U.S. defense initiatives in the Indo-Pacific to bolster Taiwan's defense and support Indo-Pacific allies.
- Saving $31 billion by cutting out inefficient programs, obsolete weapons, and bloated Pentagon bureaucracy, and another $4 billion in programs that do not meet requirements.
- Abolishing the DEI bureaucracy and climate change programs.
- Banning teaching, training or promotion of critical race theory.
- Permanently banning transgender medical treatment for minors.
- Countering antisemitism, including the prohibition of sales of goods at commissaries and exchanges from entities engaged in boycotting Israel.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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