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Floor Speech

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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, this week marks the 1-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade. This disastrous decision has sown chaos and confusion across the country and led to dozens of States restricting or banning abortion care.

Republicans are obsessed with banning abortion nationwide, and they are using every vehicle possible to advance their radical anti-abortion agenda.

Tomorrow, my colleagues and I on the Armed Services Committee will begin our markup of the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. The NDAA is an annual bill that sets our Nation's defense policy. Despite our differences, Congress has come together to pass an NDAA on a bipartisan basis every year for the last 62 years.

While Republicans and Democrats may disagree about military policy, we have always kept the readiness of our forces above politics. From combating threats abroad to rebuilding DOD infrastructure at home, we have no shortage of important issues to work through in this year's bill, but right now my Republican colleagues are threatening to derail the bill by injecting anti-abortion provisions into a bill that has nothing to do with abortion.

After the Supreme Court's disastrous Dobbs decision, the Department of Defense clarified their travel policy to enable servicemembers stationed in States with abortion restrictions to travel in order to receive reproductive care. This updated travel policy in no way, shape, or form authorizes the DOD to pay for abortion care. There is no language in these provisions that pays for abortion. They simply allow servicemembers to access care they would otherwise be able to access but for being stationed in States that do not allow such care.

My Republican colleagues are hell-bent on outlawing abortion nationwide and exerting control over servicemembers' freedom by preventing their travel to receive healthcare. Amending the NDAA is just one way to impose their will on the Department of Defense.

In another example, one of my Republican colleagues on the committee currently has a hold on more than 250 general and flag officer promotions within the Department of Defense because he objects to the DOD's travel policy and wants to make a point about his displeasure. The Secretary of Defense as well as Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force have all testified that these holds impact our national security.

Radical Republicans are pandering to their MAGA base, and the American people will pay the price. While the Republicans continue their anti-abortion crusade, we should be working to craft an NDAA that addresses the real challenges our servicemembers face and gives them the resources they need to continue protecting our Nation, including access to healthcare.

That is what I will be focused on when we begin our markup tomorrow, and I urge my Republican colleagues to join us in this important task in the NDAA markup that will begin tomorrow. Our servicemembers and the American people are counting on us to get this job done.

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