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I hope you saw my latest weekly column.

 

ROGER WICKER: Conservatives Secure Major Wins for U.S. Military
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The military can breathe a sigh of relief now that Congress has approved
defense legislation for the coming year. After months of delay, the National
Defense Authorization Act finally cleared the Senate on Wednesday, unlocking
military funding for 2022. The legislative process for this bill is usually
smooth and bipartisan, but this year, Democrats kept the bill in limbo for
months while trying to include a string of left-wing priorities. Those ideas
were ultimately stripped from the bill thanks to persistent Republican efforts.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I helped negotiate this
legislation and am glad to see it reach the President’s desk. This bill makes
historic investments in military research, supplies, and weaponry to keep our
adversaries at bay. And it includes vital support for U.S. service members and
their families, who sacrifice every day to keep us safe.

Congress Approves Ships, Pay Raises, Building Projects

This year’s defense bill authorizes $777 billion for national security needs,
which is an increase of $25 billion over President Biden’s low budget request.
This funding will help finance 13 new ships for the Navy, including at least
one destroyer to be built in Mississippi. It will also strengthen our missile
defense system and continue our longstanding support for Israel. In addition,
it will enhance the security of our allies Taiwan and Ukraine, which are under
increasing threats from their hostile neighbors, China and Russia. The bill
will also fund construction projects at military bases, including a $15 million
vehicle maintenance facility at Camp Shelby. And it will provide grants to
continue funding research into defense technologies, which will benefit
Mississippi universities.

This bill will also directly help our military service members and their
families. It will provide an across-the-board 2.7 percent pay increase for our
troops, which is essential given the soaring inflation rate. It will also
improve military leave policies, health care, and housing, and will make it
easier for military spouses to find jobs. In response to the President’s
military vaccine mandate, Republicans successfully added a provision to make
sure no service member who refuses the COVID-19 vaccine receives a dishonorable
discharge.

Republicans Defeat Left-Wing Proposals

This bill is also noteworthy for the radical proposals that Republicans kept
out. I am proud that my Republican colleagues and I were able to remove the
requirement that women register for the draft. As a grandfather to six young
girls, I believe military opportunities should be available to both men and
women. But I reject the idea of sending our daughters and granddaughters into
combat against their will.

Republicans also blocked several measures aimed at turning our military into a
left-wing social experiment. One such provision would have forced the military
to hire full-time “gender advisors” and to include “gender analysis” in
training curriculum. Republicans also blocked an ill-conceived effort to force
nearly all female Marines to become drill instructors. In addition, we stopped
a provision that would have required the military to track our troops’
involvement in “extremist activities” without ever defining what “extremist”
means. This overly vague language could have been used as a tool to punish
legitimate political speech and activities, which service members are free to
pursue in their private lives.

Once these radical proposals were removed, the bill passed by an overwhelming
margin of 88-11, proving that bipartisanship is alive and well when it comes to
our nation’s security needs. This legislation will keep our troops focused on
defending our country and winning wars rather than wasting time and money on
political correctness. America will be safer as a result.

 

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Thank you for your support,

Senator Roger Wicker

 

 

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