Providing for Further Consideration of H.R. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. VASQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in my hopeful support of the National Defense Authorization Act.

As a Member from New Mexico, the birthplace of nuclear research and the nuclear bomb, and also as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I have worked incredibly hard on this committee to draft a defense bill that delivers for our servicemembers, that improves military housing, that strengthens our national security, and that brings jobs to New Mexico. This is what the NDAA should be about.

That is why it is so disappointing that Republicans and the majority are threatening servicemembers' access to reproductive healthcare. Women's healthcare decisions are between them and their doctor, not the government.

Guess what? To my Republican colleagues, I will just remind you that the majority of the American people agree with us.

Why are we even debating taking away healthcare from our servicemembers who have dedicated their lives to our country? Our military personnel and their loved ones should have access to healthcare that they need and that they have earned and that they deserve.

Let me be clear. Reproductive healthcare is healthcare. Our servicemembers deserve to serve with dignity.

I look forward to supporting our servicemembers, by passing this NDAA, supporting those jobs, supporting nuclear research in New Mexico, supporting the advancement of hypersonics in places like White Sands Missile Range, supporting our military servicemembers at Holloman Air Force Base, but this amendment threatens the support for that.

I urge my colleagues to reject this rule that attacks our women in the military and puts our national security in jeopardy.

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