[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 21, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  WILLIAM M. (MAC) THORNBERRY NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR 
                            FISCAL YEAR 2021

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                               speech of

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 20, 2020

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, today, I voted against the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. While this legislation includes 
several provisions that I strongly support--including prohibiting the 
use of funds to support the Saudi-led coalition for strikes in Yemen 
and limiting the President's ability to divert funds to build his 
wasteful border wall--it ultimately fails to rein in our nation's out 
of control defense spending.
  Amid a global pandemic, and at a time when our nation's poverty rate 
is at least 25 percent, it is unconscionable that Congress is 
authorizing a record-breaking Pentagon budget of $740.5 billion--over 
half of our discretionary budget. Multiple independent analyses have 
concluded that our nation's collective security would not suffer by 
cutting obsolete cold war weapon systems, rejecting new nuclear 
weapons, and ending our military's reliance on expensive private 
contractors. Congress must confront this reality and take meaningful 
action to ensure that the basic needs of American families are 
prioritized over wasteful military spending. That's why I'm deeply 
disappointed that an amendment I supported to reduce the Pentagon's 
budget by ten percent--while exempting military personnel and the 
Defense Health Program from any reduction--was defeated on the House 
floor.
  While I oppose the wasteful spending included in this legislation, I 
am pleased that it authorizes a three percent military pay raise and 
contains provisions to protect the health of military families by 
cleaning so-called PFAS forever chemicals and investing in military 
housing infrastructure improvements. The bill also takes important 
steps to improve the tracking of military child abuse cases, improve 
sexual assault prevention and response, and require that the DoD 
procure body armor that properly fits female service members. I am also 
pleased that the bill takes meaningful action to close the detention 
facility at Guantanamo Bay--an issue I have long championed--by 
eliminating arbitrary restrictions on the transfer of detainees from 
Guantanamo Bay that hindered the Obama Administration's ability to 
close the facility.
  Although I am glad these important provisions were included, I could 
not and cannot support a bill that ensures our nation will provide $550 
billion more in discretionary funding for military spending than for 
healthcare, education, workforce development, and anti-poverty programs 
combined.

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