SE North Carolina News

WASHINGTON, DC - On July 14, 2023, with support from Congressman David Rouzer (NC-07), the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to responsibly fund our Department of Defense and provide our military with the resources needed to keep our nation safe. 

"Congress has a fundamental duty to improve and enhance our nation's military readiness to deter ever-evolving threats from around the globe," said Rouzer.  "This legislation improves our readiness at home and abroad while also ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly.

"This year's NDAA authorizes resources to counter the Chinese Communist Party's aggression, strengthens recruitment and retention efforts, and ensures our servicemembers are well equipped to defend our nation now and in the future.  It also reverses the Biden Administration's politicization of our national defense and rejects initiatives to infiltrate our armed forces with woke ideology.

"There are many key provisions in this bill to keep our country safe, and I'm proud to support these efforts on behalf of those who so nobly serve in the United States military."

Some Highlights of the FY23 NDAA:

• Includes a 5.2% increase in servicemember basic pay, the largest pay raise in more than twenty years.
• Continues the prohibition on adverse action toward any servicemember who refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine and now provides them a path back to service.
• Saves taxpayers $40 billion or 5% of current defense spending levels.
• Supports military information operations assistance to Indo-Pacific allies to counter Chinese influence operations.
• Eliminates President Biden's woke agenda from our military by prohibiting funding for the teaching of Critical Race Theory, ends the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative, and prohibits drag shows.
• Prohibits paying for or reimbursing military personnel expenses related to abortion, such as travel or leave, as is currently authorized by a Presidential Directive from October 2022.
• Establishes a new Special Inspector General for Ukraine Security Assistance to direct and coordinate the oversight and audit of all aid provided to Ukraine by the United States.
• Fully funds the account supporting the National Guard’s border deployment to help better address the border crisis.

Original source can be found here.