National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. STANTON. Mr. Chairman, moving the National Defense Authorization Act forward has almost always been a bipartisan effort. This very bill, as originally drafted, passed out of committee with near unanimous votes from both Democrats and Republicans, 59-1.

That is why it is unconscionable that extremist politicians are willing to jeopardize our military readiness and our national security to push their unpopular partisan agenda.

In the dead of night, extreme lawmakers tacked on divisive, dangerous amendments, including one that would prevent servicewomen from accessing critical abortion care.

More than 400,000 women serve in Active Duty and in the Reserves. At great personal sacrifice, these servicewomen have sworn an oath to defend the United States and to live, train, and work at assigned duty stations often far from home.

Almost immediately after Roe was overturned last summer, States around the country began enacting draconian abortion bans and restrictions. Today, nearly half of the servicewomen no longer have access to abortion care, and many live hundreds of miles from the nearest provider.

Access to abortion should not depend on where someone lives or where they are stationed.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rightly noted that the Dobbs decision would ``interfere with the U.S. military's ability to recruit, retain, and maintain the readiness of a highly qualified force,'' and announced earlier this year that the DOD would cover travel and lodging expenses for servicewomen and military family members forced to travel for healthcare.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle would see that this policy is overturned.

Mr. Chair, I have voted for the NDAA every year that I have served in Congress, but I cannot in good conscience vote for this legislation in its current form. We must provide for our national defense.

This bill will egregiously harm nearly one-fifth of this country's fighting force. I will not turn my back on our servicewomen and military families.

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