[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 119 (Wednesday, July 12, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H3474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         WE MUST SAFEGUARD THE RELIGIOUS LIBERTY FOR OUR TROOPS

  (Mrs. MILLER of Illinois asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, priests and pastors have guided 
our troops through the darkest days of our toughest battles, and it is 
imperative that Congress continues to support and defend the religious 
liberty of our brave servicemen and -women.
  This year, on Easter weekend, the Biden administration kicked 
Catholic priests out of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center 
through a cease and desist order.
  In response to this attack on our servicemembers and their religious 
liberty rights, I had the honor of leading my colleagues in the House 
in sending a letter to Biden's Department of Defense demanding answers 
and accountability.
  The Defense Department claims that they are looking into why pastoral 
care was removed from Walter Reed during Holy Week, but Congress must 
demand that they correct this wrongdoing to ensure that this never 
happens again.
  We must safeguard religious liberty for our troops by ensuring 
pastoral care at Department of Defense medical facilities.

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