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Meng Statement on 2021 Defense Spending Bill

December 9, 2020

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act this week.

"COVID-19 has exposed deep fissures in our society between those that are safe and secure, and those who lack necessities like food, shelter, and even the internet. As I stated in July, I take oversight of our national security very seriously and believe we must have robust debate about the Pentagon's budget, policies, and priorities. Once again, Congress failed to do this. We failed to protect transgender members in the military who serve our country at home and aboard, failed to end the outdated Authorizations for the Use of Military Force that have been abused, and, did not go far enough to fully remediate PFAS/PFOA sites. I do not take this vote lightly, but I could not continue to support a bill that doesn't address these and other issues."

The NDAA passed the House by a vote of 335 to 78. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.

While Meng voted against the final NDAA, she was pleased to have secured the following items:

  • A permanent authorization of suicide prevention and resilience program for members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families. The program includes suicide prevention training and programming that facilitates healing for individuals and communities in response to suicide. This program was established in 2008 and was set to expire on October 1, 2025. Meng has worked to extend the program over the last several years.
  • An assessment of barriers to English language learners' participation in the recruitment, accession, assessment, and training processes. This is part of a larger report that seeks to understand barriers minority's face in certain units of the Armed Forces, which is due January 1, 2022.

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