Versión del boletin en español aqui. Dear John,
In a recent newsletter, I explained the Congressional calendar and how often I’m in Washington, D.C. For this newsletter, I’d like to explain what I’m working on when I’m down there! Every week is different, but one consistent aspect of my time in D.C. is my committee responsibilities. I serve on two committees – the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. As you can imagine, much of my work on these committees overlaps (and I’ll give you some examples of that further down).
Since committee responsibilities consume a lot of my time, I am taking you on a deep dive into that work and the annual defense bill in particular! I’ll also explain how this bill impacts you and your family, whether you’re directly connected to the military or not. From energy grids and LGBTQ+ protections to Pennsylvania Air/Army National Guard needs and homeland security, I bring our community’s values to Washington and ensure they are reflected in this critical piece of legislation.
Read my latest update to better understand this bipartisan “must-pass” bill.
My Work on the Annual Defense Bill
Since I arrived in Congress in 2019, I’ve had the privilege of serving on the House Armed Services Committee. As a third-generation veteran, it is an honor to represent us on the historically bipartisan committee that oversees the annual defense bill. Unlike any other piece of legislation, we have passed this bill, formally called the National Defense Authorization Act, every single year for over six decades. This bill is a testament to our enduring commitment to our brave men and women in uniform and proof that Republicans and Democrats can continue to find common ground and provide for our collective defense.
Importantly, I also want each of you to hear from me how consequential the annual defense bill is for those who serve in uniform and for our national security. For generations, this bill has helped transform our country and world for the better by safeguarding Americans against terrorists, making our ranks more diverse and equitable, and addressing the devastating effects of climate change, just to name a few. I'm personally very proud to say that through this bill I’ve successfully guaranteed 12 weeks of paid family leave to over three million federal employees and more than one million service members.
Plain and simple, this legislation is the most substantial mechanism to improve our national security, and I’m privileged to play such a large role in its implementation and to lift up your voices and concerns in the process.
Championing dozens of wins in this year’s bill |
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) and I with the Quality of Life Panel’s final report. Read all of our 31 recommendations here!
I was honored to be named the Ranking Member of the military Quality of Life Panel. For nearly a year, I led the effort with Chair Don Bacon (R-NE) to get to the heart of the many issues facing our service members. We focused on 5 core areas: compensation, housing, child care, health care, and spouse employment. |
We issued a report that addressed these core areas through 31 recommendations – those recommendations were included as the foundation of the National Defense Authorization Act. In addition to our panel’s recommendations, the bill also includes legislation I drafted about the issues our community cares about: Saving the Phoenixville Air Force JROTC program: Amending the federal statue for JROTC program enrollment requirements. This legislation would help save the Phoenixville Air Force JROTC program, which is at risk of closure. This reform will also save other JROTC programs across the country. Read more here. Energy resilience and national security: Ensuring that critical energy infrastructure and personnel at military installations are equipped to respond to extreme weather and other security challenges posed by climate change. Promoting national service: Ensuring that when military branches turn away a recruit for medical reasons, that they provide information on other opportunities for national service, such as AmeriCorps, the independent government agency that provides volunteer community service opportunities. Supporting moms with postpartum depression: Establishing a pilot program to assess the impact of perinatal mental health programs for servicewomen after a GAO report showed an alarming statistic – women in the military are far more likely (1 in 3) than their civilian counterparts (1 in 5) to experience maternal mental health conditions such as post-partum depression. This legislation is based off my bipartisan Maintaining Our Obligation to Moms (MOMS) Who Serve Act.
These are just some of the provisions I offered in the bill. For a comprehensive list, click here.
In addition, this week the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence also drafted a separate bill, the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA), which will also eventually be included in the final version of the defense bill that is signed by the President. The IAA is a separate bill that governs all the actions of America’s intelligence agencies. While much of what we do is classified, I can tell you about a few key changes I championed as the Ranking Member of the Defense Intelligence & Overhead Architecture subcommittee:
Countering Narcotics Trafficking: I recently passed a bill to increase collection and analysis of counternarcotics within the intelligence community. I recently took it a step further to build a special group within the intelligence community that focuses on counternarcotics. By creating this group, we can ensure that counternarcotics and illegal drugs, like fentanyl, are a top priority for our national security. Advancing biotechnology: Biotechnology is the use of biology to solve problems and make useful products that include improving our defense and national security. In the IAA, I championed three provisions that would require reporting from the intelligence community on the status of biotechnology threats, gaps, federal government relations with foreign entities and private industries, and how to utilize the biotech workforce to solve defense problems. Safeguarding critical minerals: Critical minerals are key components of technology devices (like the semiconductor chips we use in our phones and vehicles), national defense applications, and green energy infrastructure. Foreign adversaries, such as China, can threaten our national security by withholding the supply of critical minerals and hinder our ability to produce American-based products. My IAA provision directs the Director of National Intelligence to develop a strategy to strengthen these critical mineral supply chains.
Where the NDAA bill stands now |
Watch the full clip of my floor speech here |
The House Armed Services committee passed the defense bill with strong bipartisan support, with a vote of 57-1. The bill then moved to the floor for a final vote and provided every member of the House of Representatives the chance to offer an amendment. Unfortunately, a number of extremely partisan and unserious amendments were added to the bill and passed. Just a sampling of those included attacks on LGBTQ+ service members, reproductive freedom in the military, stripping all funding from our democratic ally, Ukraine, and more. These attacks don’t reflect the values of Chester and Berks Counties or the needs of our servicemembers, and I was left with no choice but to vote against the latest version of the bill.
I spoke about my hopes and frustrations with the latest version of the bill in a recent floor speech. Watch it here!
What’s next?
While I’m enormously disappointed the bill has taken a partisan turn, I have full faith and confidence that the final bill will be stripped of these ridiculous and harmful amendments. For those who are of a certain age (like me!), we remember our Schoolhouse Rock. In order for a bill to become a law, the same bill must pass the House and the Senate and finally go to the President for approval.
It’s now up to the Senate to pass their own bill, and I look forward to negotiating with my Senate counterparts on a final, truly bipartisan bill to send to President Joe Biden for signature.
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Serving as our community's representative is the honor of my lifetime, and I hope to hear from you soon about any issue that concerns you.
As always, please contact my office if you need assistance.
Be well, and see you soon! |
Chrissy Houlahan U.S. Member of Congress
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