Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. MILLS. Mr. Chair, I will start out by saying that I really admire and love my colleague from Hawaii. We have had many conversations together on the strengthening of our military, especially when it comes to Schofield Barracks and the rest, and the same is true with the ranking member, my colleague, Adam Smith.

I will say, however, for the record, I served in the United States military. As an Army combat veteran, I proudly served with people from Hawaii, people from Puerto Rico, and people from the Virgin Islands. I have seen the diversity which exists, and I think that the utilization of DEI and CRT is what has led to the creation of the recruitment deficit of 41,000 that we see today.

Our military is not supposed to be prioritizing the ideas of critical race theory or diversity, equity, inclusion. It should be about increased lethality, readiness, and being properly equipped. This is how we defeat our enemies. It is not through the ideas of trying to create division, and it is not through the ideas of pronoun training, where I can guarantee you that we cannot pronoun all of our enemies, but the he/him, they/them, and she/her is not going to make us a stronger military.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support Mrs. Anna Paulina Luna's amendment, and I ask that we understand that we are here to strengthen our military, not to divide it.

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Mr. MILLS. Mr. Chair, I just point out once again, as a United States Army combat veteran, I served with people from different races, creeds, and genders. None of that mattered; we all bled green. When we went to Iraq and Afghanistan, when we were sitting in Kosovo, not once did we talk about who did you vote for, what religion do you follow, what gender do you identify as. We were a cohesive unit that believed in service.

I think that the DEI, which was actually passed in last year's NDAA in the House, should actually show that we are ready to close this because it has caused division, not inclusion. When you talk about the 41,000 deficit that we are seeing today, I think that we were a much stronger military with greater recruitment efforts when we were prioritizing the ideas of coming together, fighting a common enemy, training as one.

This is what matters to our United States military when we strengthen ourselves; not the idea of trying to identify ourselves as being something different, but as being one. That is the military that I served in. That is the military I believe in. We need to stop allowing our military to only think about serving political agendas and get back to what they are supposed to do, which is serving our country.

I have seen nothing but division through DEI. One of those examples that we talk about is that we want to try to make sure everyone has a right to their own opinions. The reality is that Tyler Bowyer had a Turning Point event where military members were actually refused attendance because of being conservatives.

We need to be a stronger military. I support this amendment. I ask my colleagues to do the same.
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Mr. MILLS. Mr. Chair, tomorrow is Flag Day. The Second Continental Congress of June 14, 1777, adopted the flag of the United States some 247 years ago. This was in the midst of our struggle to become a free and independent Nation and to become a constitutional Republic. Now, that flag changed over time as new States were added and the country expanded, but our dedication must be unyielding. They saw fit to honor the flag then, and we must honor the flag now and forever.

We start each legislative day here with the Pledge of Allegiance. That flag that sits behind you right now is a symbol of this great country. We don't make that pledge to a party. We pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. It is a simple but solemn part of the day, and it is done to remind us that we are one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Those stars and those stripes mean a lot to me, Mr. Speaker. It is a flag that I saluted as a soldier and a combat veteran, and a flag that I have seen many times draped over the coffins of those I had served with. I hope we never lose sight of the importance of it.

What my amendment does is simple, Mr. Speaker. It honors our flag. We can do this again by asserting the legislative powers, as they did in 1777. Currently, no flag other than the approved flag should be displayed in any workplace, common area place, or public area at the Department of Defense, which we decided in fiscal year 2024 in the NDAA. Approved flags include the American flag, the State flags, military service flags, and even our POW/MIA flag, as well as others, for 13 types in total.

There is, however, a provision that concerns me that allows ``a flag approved at the discretion of a military chain of command or civilian leadership, as appropriate,'' and this is what my amendment would strike. It would strike the ability from it being a legislative priority that we are abdicating over and bring it back as it was supposed to under Article I. This is about Congress determining the flags that can be displayed at military installations, and we have already agreed to 13 of them. If a Member of Congress or the Department of Defense wants to add to that list, then come and make the argument and the debate here on the floor and have a vote.

Don't just give our Article I powers away to the executive branch. It is our responsibility as a legislative body in this country to make these determinations in this Chamber. I also want to be clear that under current law, a building or an area that primarily serves as a place of residence is exempt, and servicemembers can do as they choose, not denying them their rights that they fight for. There are also exemptions for museum exhibits, license plates, gravesites, memorials, educational displays, and more that were decided here by Congress.

I am here today, Mr. Chair, to say: Honor our flag and protect our legislative powers. I hope all my colleagues will join me in doing so.

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Mr. MILLS. Mr. Chair, I have great respect for my colleague, Mr. Smith, and I have served proudly with him on the Armed Services Committee. I remind him that it is our responsibility. As our Founding Fathers established in 1777, it is Congress under Article I that has the rights and authorities to be able to designate which flags are flown over military installations.

We are not talking about outside of their barracks. We are not talking about what they fly outside of their own rooms or even the buildings that they occupy. We are talking about the military installation as a whole.

The one thing that Congress has gotten very good at is abdicating our responsibilities the same way that we abdicate Article I, Section 8, Clauses 11 through 13 of our war powers authority within the actual AUMF, Authorization for Use of Military Force. I ask my colleagues to explain why.

In 1777, we deemed this as a congressional authority, but we now say that any command--and there are good commands; there are bad commands-- has the right to overrule what has actually been done here in the body.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues, once again, to explain why we continue to abdicate our roles and responsibilities within this Chamber only to complain about them further later.

Mr. Chair,

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Mr. MILLS. Mr. Chair, I remind the gentlewoman that the purpose of Congress is not to try to pass as many bills as you can possibly pass. Actually, it was the opposite of that. It was actually trying to make it very difficult.

The reason that we are so big on wanting to try to gauge the metrics by how many bills we pass is because we don't even enforce the existing laws that we have on the books, and we think that is somehow a metric of success.

The reality is that we are not supposed to be involved in day-to-day lives, which is why, in 1777, they made it very clear: Here are the authorized flags we can fly.

I can tell you that if there were a tremendous amount of MAGA flags flying over military installations, you would hear an absolute outcry by the left that would come in and tell you that these are not authorized and approved flags, so how dare they do this, it is a complete atrocity, and J6 is a result of this.

The funny thing is that it is only a great argument when it is to their own benefit, but the reality is this: Why can't it be simple? The simplest thing is that our military installations and our military servicemembers, myself as an actual armed services member--not sure that my colleagues have actually served in the Army--we wore an American flag on our uniform. Why? Because that is what our American country represented, that flag.

Mr. Chair, I ask that my colleagues support this and that we get back to supporting and honoring our flag.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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