Maloney's Amendments to Support Service Members Included in National Defense Package, Pass House

Press Release

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which reauthorizes important national defense programs and strengthens our national security. The NDAA also includes many provisions authored by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), including amendments to support diversity at United States Service Academies and in military leadership.

"As the son of a veteran, I know how important it is that we keep our promises to our nation's heroes. From giving our troops a raise to protecting their health and wellbeing, this bill goes a long way," said Rep. Sean Maloney. "I worked hard to get many of my amendments and bills included in this forward-looking package, including provisions to ensure our Service Academies are more inclusive places for every cadet to train and learn. This bill is smart, it's bipartisan, and it's a step in the right direction."

Rep. Maloney successfully fought to include several amendments in the NDAA, including amendments that will:

Increase diversity in the military services: Rep. Maloney's amendment will require the Department of Defense to establish goals for increasing women and minorities in the military services, including at United States Service Academies. Our Service Academies, including the United States Military Academy at West Point -- located in New York's 18th Congressional District -- have made great progress in supporting diversity and inclusion in cadet ranks, and this amendment would further this progress.

Establish mentoring and career development programs at United States Service Academies: Rep. Maloney's amendment would require the establishment of a comprehensive mentoring program and career development framework with measurable metrics to increase diversity at United States Service Academies. USMA has a unique and successful program, which can be a model for all Service Academies.

Require a review of diverse curriculum and instruction at United States Service Academies: Rep. Maloney's amendment would require the creation of a report to the Secretary of Defense and Congress on Equal Opportunity Claims and determinations of academies over the past 20 years, create a climate survey of cadets conducted by an external entity, and review educational and extracurricular instruction to ensure the inclusion of minority communities in authorship and course content. The amendment would also require a review of faculty and staff demographics at all Service Academies to ensure a diverse educational experience for cadets.

Support medical services at Service Academy medical facilities: Rep. Maloney's amendment would ensure the availability of certain medical services at U.S. Service Academies (like those available at Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point), including emergency room services, orthopedic services, general surgery services and gynecological services.

Bolster Maritime Career Training: Rep. Maloney's bill, the Elijah Cummings Maritime Workforce Development Act, will create two new federal loan guarantee programs -- the Maritime Career Training Loan Program and a new program, the Elijah Cummings Maritime Recruitment, Training and Retention Grant Program -- to encourage maritime education. The bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Transportation to create a maritime career federal loan program for students attending federal, state, and commercial training institutions and nonprofit training organizations. The Elijah Cummings Maritime Recruitment, Training and Retention Grant Program would authorize the Secretary of the Department of Transportation to award grants to maritime training institutions for projects that bolster maritime skills, training, and recruitment of current or future mariners. The competitive grants would be awarded to institutions working to support the maritime industry and profession.

The bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will strengthen our national security, protect the safety of our troops, and advances American values of inclusion and diversity in our Armed Forces. The NDAA:

Gives Our Troops a Pay Raise & Protects Their Safety: authorizing a 3 percent military pay raise, protecting their health by cleaning up PFAS and other "forever chemicals" in water sources near military installations, investing in housing improvements for military members and families and advancing justice in safety with improvements to sexual assault prevention and response.

Strengthens America's Health & Economic Security: with important fixes to expand paid parental leave for certain federal civilian employees inadvertently omitted originally, initiatives to combat the climate crisis, and proactively strengthening our nation's defenses to future pandemics, including with a $1 billion Pandemic Preparedness and Resilience National Security Fund.

Responds to the COVID-19 Pandemic: proactively strengthens our nation's defenses to pandemics including with a $1 billion Pandemic Preparedness and Resilience National Security Fund, boosts America's industrial base resilience, helps Maritime Security Program carriers keep ships fully crewed during COVID-19, supports NATO's multinational response to the pandemic and provides funds to the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program with an increased focus on cooperative biological engagement to detect and confront biological threats.

Provides for Removing the Names of Confederates from Our Military Bases and Service Academies: 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. The NDAA also prohibits the public display of the Confederate flag on Department of Defense installations.

Creates a More Diverse Military: 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.

Advances our Values: prohibiting use of DOD funds to provide support to the Saudi-led coalition for strikes in Yemen, limiting the funding under the national emergency military construction authority to prevent its misuse on the President's wasteful border wall, and not containing any restrictions on transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay.

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