Providing for the Common
Defense
July 23, 2020, marked the 60th consecutive
year that Congress has fulfilled its constitutional duty to
“provide for the common defense.” The Fiscal Year 2021 National
Defense Authorization Act, which the Senate passed in a vote of 84-16,
will support military personnel and their families and strengthen our
national defense strategy. The United States’ many
economic and democratic successes continue to draw the ire of our foreign
adversaries. The bipartisan NDAA signals to our nation’s
heroes in the Armed Forces that the country has their back as they defend
our republic against the throes of ongoing threats by authoritarian
regimes. This NDAA provides them the vital tools and support
necessary to continue defending our great country both at home and
abroad.
This year’s NDAA included:
- A three percent
pay raise for our troops;
- Additional support for family
readiness, including spouse employment opportunities and child care;
- Funding for direct energy counter-drone systems, in which Idaho
industry plays a key role;
- And repairs to the gaps and
weaknesses in the supply chain that the ongoing pandemic has exposed and
exacerbated.
Fellow Senator Jim Risch and I secured a
number of provisions important to the State of Idaho in passage of the
Senate’s NDAA, and you can read more about those provisions by accessing my website here.
The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill on July 21,
2020, by a vote of 295-125, and the House and Senate will work
through negotiations on a final bill to send to the President.
Justice for Missing, Murdered Native
Women
A 2016 report from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
indicates that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska
Native women and men experience violence in their lifetimes.
American Indian and Alaska Native women are also two times more likely than
other groups to experience rape or sexual assault, and they are two and
a half times more likely to experience violent crimes in their
lifetimes.
While recognizing information on the number of missing
Native Americans in the United States is limited, the Senate Committee
on Indian Affairs included these alarming statistics in a report on S. 227, Savanna’s Act. The
legislation is named for Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a 22-year-old
member of the Spirit Lake Tribe of North Dakota murdered in 2017.
The Committee reported, “While Savanna's tragic death became
widespread news, many other Native Americans go missing or are murdered
each year.” However, DOJ and the Bureau of Indian Affairs'
Office of Justice Services (BIA-OJS) told the Committee that many of
those cases go unreported or unresolved.
I co-sponsored
Savannah’s Act to improve response to cases involving missing or
murdered Native Americans. Similarly, I co-sponsored S.Res. 606,
which emphasizes national awareness of Missing and Murdered Native
Women and Girls. Improving the response to cases involving missing
or murdered Native Americans will remain an important issue as work
continues to enable justice for those missing and murdered and their
families.
You can read more about these legislative actions
by accessing my website
here.
Police Reform
The vast majority of law enforcement officers are hard-working
Americans who put their lives on the line every day to keep their
communities safe. Unfortunately, we have seen several instances of
horrific and inexcusable conduct by some very bad actors under the guise
of law enforcement. It is clear reforms are needed, as well as
greater accountability and transparency, to help eliminate racial
inequality and rebuild the trust all Americans deserve to have in the
institutions designed for the purposes of keeping the communities in which
they live and work safe.
Earlier this summer, the Senate
considered the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities
Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act, which focuses on three areas of long-term
solutions, including reform, accountability and transparency.
Although the bill has not had a final vote on the Senate Floor, I remain
committed to passing sensible legislation that helps rebuild the lost
confidence in law enforcement communities. To read more about the
JUSTICE Act and to watch my portion of a Senate Judiciary Committee
hearing examining police use of force, click the image below, or visit my website here.
In the Next Edition:
Americans across the country continue to weather the many impacts of the
global coronavirus pandemic. The Senate is hard at work on a
fourth legislative relief effort. In my next newsletter, I will
share details about Congress’s action on the Health, Economic,
Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act, as well as information on
the types of coronavirus relief already sent directly to Idaho.
STILL NEED HELP? Contact
me.
Have any lingering questions or still need help with a federal
agency? You can do so by submitting THIS FORM on my
website.
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