Congressman David Rouzer (NC-07) released the following statement after passage of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bill passed by Congress every year to authorize funding levels for the military and our men and women in uniform:
"With threats from our adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran continuing to grow – along with the complete collapse of Afghanistan – Congress has a responsibility to provide our troops the resources they need to counter the many emerging threats to our homeland.
"This year's NDAA bill fully funds our military, provides a pay raise for our men and women in uniform, holds accountable those responsible for the disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan, prevents Department of Defense funds from being used to aid the Taliban, and ensures our servicemembers are well equipped to defend our nation now and in the future. It also prevents servicemembers from being dishonorably discharged if they refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine. There are many key provisions in this bill important to North Carolina, and I look forward to seeing other improvements made during the Conference Committee negotiations with the Senate."
Highlights of the FY22 NDAA include:
Reverses President Biden’s reckless cuts to our national security by boosting the defense topline by nearly $25 billion to protect America from threats at home and abroad.
Provides a well-deserved 2.7% pay increase for U.S. servicemembers.
Protects servicemembers who refuse a COVID-19 vaccination from dishonorable discharge.
Requires the DoD to immediately submit a plan to Congress on how it will support the evacuation of American citizens from Afghanistan, maintain air superiority, conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, and carry out counter-terrorism operations.
Authorizes $250 million to conduct counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan and prohibits DoD from providing any financial support to the Taliban.
Requires DoD and DNI to assess the involvement of the Chinese Communist Party in the origins of COVID-19.
Preserves servicemembers’ free speech rights by protecting them from being punished for political statements on social media accounts.
Addresses the crisis at our southern border.
Provides additional National Guard resources to address the crisis at our Southern Border.
