WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Military Personnel, today released the following statement after the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the House by a vote of 316 to 113.
“The defense budget that President Biden submitted to Congress was wholly inadequate. This year’s National Defense Authorization Act took bipartisan steps to address these shortcomings and hold this administration accountable.
“While imperfect, this bill provides our men and women in uniform with a well-deserved pay-raise and makes critical investments in shipbuilding, ground-based missiles, and other critical capabilities that help deter CCP aggression. It protects the longstanding principle of civilian control of our military by including my amendment to make it harder for recently retired generals to serve atop the Pentagon. It defends federal agencies from threats arising from dangerous DJI drones. It brings us closer to understanding the origins of COVID-19 by requiring the Department of Defense to report to Congress on the World Military Games held in Wuhan, and establishes a National Security Commission on Synthetic Biology to get ahead of the biological threats of the future.
“As we look to conference with the Senate, I hope we can build on these successes and arrive at a final product that, above all else, keeps Americans safe.”
The NDAA is the legislative vehicle that authorizes spending for the Department of Defense. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Gallagher is responsible for helping draft this legislation.
The bill included a number of Gallagher-led provisions, such as:
- Full funding for Marinette Marine to build the future frigate,
- A ban on the Department of Defense participating in research programs in China, including risky gain-of-function research,
- A critical reform to the process in which Congress grants recently retired generals a waiver to serve as Secretary of Defense,
- Authorization for a Global War on Terror Memorial to be built on the National Mall,
Expanded cooperation between the U.S. National Guard and Taiwanese forces, - The Great Lakes Winter Shipping Act, which would provide the Coast Guard with expanded icebreaking capabilities to keep shipping lanes on the Great Lakes open during cold winter months,
- A requirement on the Department of Defense to report to Congress on whether U.S. athletes may have contracted COVID-19 at the World Military Games in Wuhan in October of 2019,
- Establishing the portfolio for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, and
- A review of the defense utility of all U.S. possessions in the Indo-Pacific.
