Press Release: How Congress Funds Defense and our Servicemembers
By Press Release • October 5, 2021The following Press Release was sent out by Congressman Mike Simpson. Note: Press Releases are sent out by candidates, elected officials, organizations and companies and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Idaho Dispatch.
Washington, D.C. – “Last week, the House of Representatives passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22). I supported this bill, along with 134 of my fellow Republicans, which fulfills Congress’ annual responsibility to “provide for the common defense” by supporting servicemembers and their families and ensuring the readiness of the world’s greatest fighting force.
“As a proud American patriot, I strongly believe in the importance of supporting our troops, the men and women of the United States military who volunteer to serve their country and protect our way of life. For many Americans, that means thanking the servicemembers in their lives, sending a letter to troops abroad, or flying an American flag outside their home. Congress has a unique opportunity—and responsibility—to support our troops through defense authorization legislation. Through the NDAA, we make sure that the citizen-soldiers and -airmen of the National Guard have safe equipment and aircraft to protect them abroad. We fund counter-terrorism operations to protect the homeland and prevent the next 9/11. We also conduct oversight over the Department of Defense to cut spending on old platforms that have little strategic value. Above all, we provide pay increases—this year, by 2.7 percent—to our troops in uniform, and look out for their families by building childcare facilities and quality housing. We must pass the NDAA every single year to make sure our troops have the resources they need to overcome every obstacle our adversaries put in front of them.
Advertisement“While the House-passed FY22 NDAA contains many important provisions worthy of support, it is not the bill I would have written. For example, the bill contains a provision—Sec. 529—that would allow military judges and magistrates to temporarily restrict a servicemember’s access to weapons as part of a domestic violence or sexual assault protective order, a power already given to the servicemember’s commander. I oppose this provision, which was added by House Democrats during the initial drafting process, as it was last year. Just like last year, I fully expect this provision to be removed from the NDAA before it becomes law. To underscore the importance of removing Sec. 529 from the final NDAA, I recently sent a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees demanding that this provision be excluded from the final package.
“Though I don’t agree with everything in this bill, it is important to remember that the September 23rd vote is just the first step in a long process meant to improve the bill before it becomes law. I voted to advance the bill to the conference process, where changes can be made. Let me be clear—this bill will undergo substantial changes before it is signed by the President. Overall, this bill does a good job of supporting our troops and national security, and I expect it will improve from here.”
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Tags: 2nd Amendment, Mike Simpson, NDAA, red flag laws
5 thoughts on “Press Release: How Congress Funds Defense and our Servicemembers”
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You voted for a Red Flag law Liberal Simpson.
Resign, get out of our Idaho Politics.
You are definitely out of touch.
I will vote for anyone but Simpson. If no conservative challenges him, I’ll write in my own name. Rep Simpson: go back to the cocktail circuit while the lobbyists on K Street write legislation and pay you to support/vote for it, send out press releases like this to convince you have our backs, etc. You’ve punted your sworn oath and legislative responsibility for years while you and your family have been living the good life in DC. You are a RINO worm worthy of NO support.
Make that 2 Votes for Black Irish Rose!
NO votes for liberal worm simpson.
Cut 10% for each of the next 7 years and withdraw from all foreign bases except where explictly invited by the host nations. Forget Taiwan, for as desperately as we’d all love to be able to keep those good people free of the CCP, a cold dispassionate rational analysis of the situation yields a terrible risk/reward ratio and a high likelihood that in our perilously fractured condition, the added stress of war with a near peer adversary will push us over the brink and result in a calamatous disintegration of the USA. If we haven’t learned anything yet, going to war over Taiwan may be our very last lesson on the consequences of empire.
Stopping sending troops abroad to face perils usually funded by CIA/State Dept. would be a cheaper and more sincere way to “support our troops.” They could and should be deployed to the southern border to lock it down hard. There they would actually be protecting nat. sec. and at much less risk to their precious lives than in places where they don’t belong.