[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 121 (Friday, July 14, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUBEN GALLEGO

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 14, 2023

  Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, today I missed a vote on final passage of 
H.R. 2670--National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 
2024 because of the birth of my child. Had I been present on the House 
Floor, I would have voted NO. As a combat veteran and a senior member 
of the Armed Services Committee, helping to develop the NDAA is one of 
the most important parts of my job. This year, however, I would not 
have been able to vote for this bill in good faith.
  While I voted in favor of reporting H.R. 2670 out of the House Armed 
Services Committee, Speaker McCarthy allowed the most radical members 
of his party to hijack what was a bipartisan effort to protect our 
Nation and support our troops. Instead, House Republicans passed 
amendments that do the opposite, including provisions that restrict 
access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, discriminate against the 
LGBTQ+ community, and eliminate efforts to ensure that Americans from 
all communities that want to serve know they will be supported and 
succeed.
  Although there were dozens of amendments that I would have opposed, I 
want to highlight 5 in particular where I would have cast the following 
individual votes:
  No on Jackson Amendment No. 377, which seeks to reverse the Defense 
Department's policy that safeguards access to abortion and other 
reproductive health care.
  No on Rosendale Amendment No. 194, which seeks to prohibit coverage 
of gender-affirming care through TRICABE.
  No on Norman Amendment No. 30, which seeks to prohibit gender-
affirming care for dependents through the Exceptional Family Member 
Program.
  No on Norman Amendment No. 1464, which seeks to ban the pride flag 
from Defense Department facilities.
  No on Boebert Amendment No. 1386, which seeks to prohibit Defense 
Department schools from having books that espouse ``radical gender 
ideology.''
  Instead of passing the bipartisan annual defense bill that I 
supported in Committee, Speaker McCarthy chose partisan politics over 
national security. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the 
House and Senate to address these harmful provisions through the 
Conference process.