South Asheville News

U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11) applauded the recent passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2024 (FY24), which included two of his amendments.

A total of 1,558 amendments were submitted by House members, 370 of which were actually considered by the House, and 360 of which were passed by the House - including two from Edwards - and included in the final bill.

The NDAA provides for U.S. military members and their families by increasing pay and improving housing and access to healthcare. The legislation includes provisions to support the 8,000 servicemembers discharged for not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and provides a path back to service.

The 2024 NDAA equips the military with the tools and resources needed to counter rising threats from countries like Communist China through deterrence efforts, prevents espionage by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), reinforces U.S. support for Taiwan and other allies in the Pacific, and pushes back on the CCP’s influence around the world.

This year’s NDAA implements budget savings and reforms, which will save taxpayers $40 billion by eliminating inefficient defense programs, outdated weapons systems, and unnecessary bureaucracy at the Pentagon.

Additionally, oversight and accountability of taxpayer dollars will be strengthened through such measures as establishing audit and oversight of U.S. aid to Ukraine and enhancing oversight of Department of Defense programs.

The following two Edwards’ amendments were included in the NDAA:

• An amendment to help reduce waste and misuse of U.S.-provided equipment in Central America, as this kind of material aid to allies is an area where the Pentagon spends billions of taxpayer dollars annually.
• An amendment to require DOD to complete a survey of the 15 counties in Western North Carolina’s 11th district as potential locations for future defense assets and report to Congress on its findings. Western North Carolina’s topography is much like that of many U.S. adversaries, including China, and would be advantageous for U.S. military training.

The FY24 NDAA will refocus the U.S. military on strength and readiness by stopping radical ideologies from being pushed onto servicemembers. Some of the bill’s provisions include:

• Banning funding for critical race theory teaching in the military.
• Repealing the role of Chief Diversity Officer.
• Prohibiting the DOD from paying more than $92,000 for anyone whose job entails implementing DEI programs.
• Stopping funding for drag shows.
• Blocking DOD from requiring contractors to document and submit plans about the effect of their weapons systems on greenhouse gas emissions.

Edwards said, “I’m pleased to have helped deliver a comprehensive NDAA that gets back to the core mission of a strong U.S. military by reining in the Biden administration’s cultural engineering of the past two years. Our nation’s freedom hinges on our ability to maintain a military that’s laser-focused on defeating our enemies, and this year’s NDAA will help refocus our military’s priorities back to strength and readiness to counter the rapidly growing threats of our global adversaries.”

Original source can be found here.