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 securing major wins, including full funding for Marinette Marine to build the future frigate, in the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“President Biden’s budget included an inflation-adjusted defense cut that failed to provide our men and women in uniform with the resources they need to deter CCP aggression and win in the 21st century. Republicans and Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee recognized this was wholly inadequate and took bipartisan action today to address the shortcomings of the President’s proposal.
“This NDAA increases defense spending and ensures the Pentagon has the resources it needs to grow and modernize our armed forces. It strengthens our defense industrial base in Northeast Wisconsin by providing funding for Marinette Marine to build the future frigate and for Oshkosh Defense’s FMTV and HEMTT programs. And it also includes my amendments that protect civil-military relations, strengthen our partnership with Taiwan, and prohibit the Pentagon from conducting research – including risky gain-of-function research – in China. I hope we can continue to build on these successes as we look to Conference with the Senate.”
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, which advanced out of committee by a vote of 57 to 2, 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,
- 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.
