This week the House is set to vote on the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA), bill number H.R. 6395.
 
The NDAA Reauthorization authorizes about $740.5 billion for the fiscal year 2021. The provisions in H.R. 6395 should focus on providing for military readiness, supporting our troops, and our security. Yet, these funds are being used for unsubstantial security threats, like climate change prevention. The legislation also prevents the President from withdrawing troops from Germany by requiring certain certifications and reports before he can do so. And, in an attempt to block the border wall from coming into fruition, the legislation sets a $100 million for domestic projects and $500 million for overseas projects spending cap on emergency use of military construction funding. According to an article in The Hill, “To date, Trump has taken $3.6 billion from military construction funding for the wall.”

Further, Democrats in the House have insisted on using the legislation to advance their political agenda. According to a House Armed Services Committee summary, the NDAA creates a more “inclusive” military. It does so by making the “Department of Defense to identify, report on a process, and change the names of all military bases and infrastructure named for individuals who served in the Confederacy within one year and prohibits the public display of the Confederate flag on Department of Defense installations.” Secondly, the legislation also establishes the Chief Diversity Officer that reports directly to the Secretary of Defense and creates other posts to “investigate racial disparities” and “white supremacist activities among military personnel.”  To add to this, there will also be annual reporting on the gender and race of each officer who was recommended a promotion. It seems the NDAA is now a tool for the Democrats to further cultural shifts in our country rather than focus on real concerns affecting the nation’s security.

Additionally, in light of the Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County that title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 extends to individuals identifying as gay or transgender, we are on the lookout for any harmful amendments that are anti-family and seek to appropriate this decision into the military. As you may recall,  Congresswoman Jackie Speier introduced an amendment last year that made broad steps to force acceptance of the LGBTQ agenda. Not only did the Speier amendment completely undermine the Trump/Mattis Policy provision allowing a mentally-stable person with gender dysphoria to serve in the military only under their biological sex, but it also affirmed that Congress believes gender is something that can be chosen on personal whim, not through DNA.
 
            ‘‘(c) GENDER IDENTITY DEFINED.  -- In this section, the term ‘gender identity’ means the gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual’s designated sex at birth.’’
 
This far-left agenda shapes the NDAA Reauthorization’s provisions at the expense of our national security and the good stewardship of taxpayers’ money. Congress should legitimately fund our military and provide for our national security.

Please call or email your Representative and ask them to oppose H.R. 6395 and any amendments that seek to force the military to accept the SOGI agenda.