Conference Report on H.R. William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Conference Report for H.R. 6395, the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. This bill contains many important provisions that should become law, but unfortunately those laudable policies are outweighed by the staggering cost and I cannot support the bill as a whole.

I am grateful for the Conferees' work to include language increasing treatment and benefits for veterans by expanding the types of diseases that are presumed connected with exposure to Agent Orange. I also strongly support the pay increase for our troops, the removal of names and symbols associated with the racist legacy of the Confederacy, and the bolstering of paid parental leave policies across the federal government. I commend Chairman Smith for his ongoing work to advance legislation that improves the military's prevention of sexual assault and support for survivors, takes encouraging steps to address climate change, and prevents the misuse of taxpayer money on a wasteful border wall. In response to authoritarian tactics by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere, the Chairman and House Conferees also achieved bipartisan support for a policy I championed requiring that any federal forces responding to a protest or civil disturbance by clearly identifiable.

I cannot ignore, however, the unprecedented amount of military spending that this legislation would authorize. Amid a national crisis precipitated by a global pandemic, voting to allow billions of dollars to be spent on weapons is unjustifiable when our communities desperately need food and housing security, access to childcare, affordable health care, and small business support. We must not accept the notion that annual increases in defense spending are somehow inevitable and can be rationalized as modest when adding just one percent costs billions of dollars that should instead be invested domestically in schools or infrastructure.

I do not take this vote lightly and my commitment to providing for our servicemembers remains steadfast. It is a complex and challenging task to responsibly fund our national defense, but I am confident that we can maintain adequate security while reining in the immense and ever-increasing sums that endlessly pour into the military-industrial complex. I look forward to continued engagement with my colleagues as we address these difficult issues.

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