Announcement By the Acting Chair
Floor Speech
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Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Chair, had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall No. 302. Amendment No. 21 Offered by Ms. Greene of Georgia
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Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
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Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment, and to all of the amendments that have been added to this bill as a Christmas tree and a mockery of the men and women who serve in our military. I am opposed to making this bill into a vehicle for perpetuating the culture wars of this extreme majority.
In particular, I am opposed to the amendment that would attempt to enact an extreme, anti-choice agenda, to ban abortion nationwide, and to interfere with the healthcare of women in our military who are serving in a post-Dobbs era when their efforts to provide for their family, to create a family, and to have the full range of reproductive health will be compromised.
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Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Chair, I am opposed to amendment No. 40. I am speaking in opposition to all of the amendments that have been added.
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Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley), my colleague.
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Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Chair, I am opposed to the amendment that has been offered, but I want to get back to the crux of the matter of the Christmas tree of cultural war issues that has been added to this bill to the detriment of our servicemembers.
My own father fought in World War II. He was a hero. He was shot down in the Battle of the Bulge, and he served for 6 months in a German prison camp. I have the utmost respect for those who are serving our country and keeping us safe, but the amendments that have been passed in this Chamber today are putting the lives of our servicemembers at risk.
I have a very brief story from a constituent just this week who was pregnant and very much wanted to carry to birth. She lost that baby at 20 weeks. It was tragic. What was even more tragic in a post-Dobbs era was that she could not get the healthcare that she needed for herself, for her family, and she was forced to travel out of State. She was forced to get care that would save her life, and that is my point about how horrific we are.
We are in a state in this country where my colleagues across the aisle would put servicemembers at risk who could have been raped and molested by members of the military, and we know that to be a very significant risk.
Now, servicemembers would not be able to travel to get the healthcare they need for a pregnancy that they very much wanted.
Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Sorensen).
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Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Sorensen).
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Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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