Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14) released the following statement after voting for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2023. The NDAA sets policy for our nation's defense and is critical for national security.
“The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is necessary to ensure that our military stays at the pinnacle of readiness by raising our service members' pay and providing them with the proper tools and resources to accomplish the mission,” said Rep. Weber. “I am proud to vote in favor of this bill, after my GOP colleagues and I fought to remove ‘woke’ provisions, like the unconstitutional "Red Flag Laws," drafting our daughters, and the radical abortion riders. I will continue to support our armed forces in their noble effort to safeguard American citizens and our sacred allies.”
The NDAA would:
Include a 4.6% pay raise for servicemembers and additional 2.4% pay bonus for enlisted personnel.
Authorize $16.5 billion for military construction and family housing, reversing President Biden’s proposed cuts.
Authorize $500 million in additional housing allowances and $750 million to reduce food and other item costs at commissaries.
Establish a Servicemember Parents Bill of Rights to secure the rights of parents in their children’s education at DOD schools.
Pushes back on the woke agenda by clarifying that lethality is the centerpiece of our national defense strategy and any activities that do not increase lethality are a distraction from DOD’s mission.
Authorize 13 new ships and $250 million to expand and modernize our shipyards.
Fund the nuclear sea launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) that President Biden proposed to cancel and prohibits any reduction in the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).
Establish a National Hypersonic Initiative to accelerate development of hypersonic missiles.
Authorize over $7 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to counter China.
Require comprehensive reviews of assistance provided to Ukraine by the DOD Inspector General.
Create new incentives for servicemembers to report waste, fraud, and abuse, resulting in cost savings.
Save more than $11 billion through decommissioning and divestments of older, less capable ships and aircraft and other reforms to DOD operations.
Include a number of provisions strengthening the US-Taiwan relationship and reaffirming US support to the defense of Taiwan.
Extend the prohibition on a dishonorable discharge for servicemembers who refuse a COVID-19 vaccination.
Prohibit the implementation of the COVID vaccine mandate on DOD contractors until Congress receives a report on its impact on procurement timelines and readiness.
Fully funds the National Guard’s operation and maintenance account to support a border deployment and clearly states that the border crisis is a national security issue.
