Representative Malinowski Votes to Pass the Bipartisan FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act

Statement

Today, the House of Representatives passed the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to fund and support American national security across the globe. The bipartisan bill focuses on maintaining and strengthening defense policy rooted in American values as we work to resolve our current health, economic and social crises. Representative Malinowski voted in favor of the legislation.

Among other provisions, the FY 2021 NDAA:

Gives our troops a pay raise and protects their safety by authorizing a 3 percent military pay raise, protecting their health by cleaning up PFAS forever chemicals, investing in housing improvements for military members and families and advancing justice in safety with improvements to sexual assault prevention and response;

Responds to the COVID-19 pandemic by including a new one-billion-dollar Pandemic Preparedness and Resilience National Security Fund designed to provide rapid support to biomedical and biological R&D targeted at pandemics. In a March letter to the House Armed Services Committee Rep Malinowski specifically requested the inclusion of these funds.

Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to coordinate with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies to create a repository of federally approved plans and specifications for critical medical items that could help manufacturers rapidly produce those items in a potential national emergency or disaster.

Establishes a new "National Academies Climate Security Roundtable" within the National Academies of Science to establish best practices for identifying and disseminating climate indicators and warnings to ensure that environmental security is included in operational planning and intelligence analysis.

Coordinates support for survivors of sexual trauma by requiring the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to jointly develop, implement, and maintain a standard of coordinated care for members of the Armed Forces who are survivors of sexual trauma.

Provides for removing the names of confederates from our military bases by requiring DOD to identify, report on a process and change the names of all military bases and infrastructure named for individuals who took up arms against America by serving in the Confederacy, with the process to be completed in one year. Also prohibits the public display of the Confederate flag on Department of Defense installations.

Creates a more diverse military by creating a Special Investigator focused on combating racial disparities in the Military Justice System and in personnel policies and practices, establishing Chief Diversity Officers throughout the military, and creating initiatives for increasing representation of women and minorities in the military services; and

Prohibits the use of Department of Defense funds to provide logistical support to the Saudi-led coalition for strikes in Yemen, and prohibits Department of Defense civilian, military, or contractor personnel from participating in hostilities against the Houthis, without authorization from Congress.

Bans the anonymously owned shell companies that foreign kleptocrats, criminals, money launderers, and those trying to interfere in our elections use to hide their tracks in the United States. Rep Malinowski cosponsored this amendment and has been championing this change in our laws since he was an official in the State Department.

Imposes limits on a President's ability to deploy the military within the United States through the Insurrection Act, creating accountability to Congress whenever a President uses military force domestically.

Includes Rep Malinowski's amendment prohibiting American companies from exporting products and services to China that could be used to commit human rights abuses, including against China's Uyghur minority.

"Congress has no higher national security responsibility than the protection of the American people," said Representative Malinowski. "Today we secured a strong bipartisan national defense plan that will support our servicemembers, and provide the necessary funds to fight back against this pandemic."

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