APPROVING $858 BILLION MILITARY BUDGET
Voting 350 for and 80 against, the House on Dec. 8, 2022, passed a bill (HR 7776) that would authorize an $858 billion Department of Defense budget for fiscal 2023 that includes a 4.5% pay raise for uniformed personnel. In addition to funding standard military accounts such as those for weapons, personnel, logistics and the operation of global and domestic bases, the bill would end a mandate that troops be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. The bill would provide $800 million in aid to Ukraine while imposing stricter auditing of money spent there; authorize $10 billion over five years in military aid to Taiwan; block U.S. military usage of Chinese semiconductor products and services; and take steps to strengthen the NATO alliance. In addition, the bill would transfer authority to prosecute sexual assaults on service personnel from the military chain of command to independent prosecutors in the U.S. criminal justice system.
Floor Debate, Pro & Con:
Supporter Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said the bill “is laser-focused on preparing our military to counter threats from China and our other adversaries. It makes critical investments in new systems capable of surviving in contested environments. It includes provisions that will further harden our supply chain and industrial base against filtration from China; and it reaffirms our support to allies in the region, especially Taiwan. Finally, it strengthens our European alliance as these democracies face grave threats from that crackpot in the Kremlin.”
Another supporter, Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said the bill “moves us forward in reforming the military justice system. We took sexual assault out of the chain of command last year in the [military budget]. This year, we take sexual harassment out of the chain and we require trained investigators who will investigate cases outside the brigade. Both are critical for the safety of military personnel because sexual harassment begets sexual assault.”
No member spoke against the bill.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
SENDING MILITARY BUDGET TO PRESIDENT BIDEN
Voting 83 for and 11 against, the Senate on Dec. 15, 2022, gave final congressional approval to a bill (HR 7776) that would authorize an $858 billion Department of Defense budget for fiscal 2023, which includes a 4.5% pay raise for uniformed personnel. In addition to funding standard military accounts such as those for weapons, personnel, logistics and the operation of global and domestic bases, the bill would end a mandate that troops be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. The bill would provide $800 million in aid to Ukraine while imposing stricter auditing of money spent there; authorize $10 billion over five years in military aid to Taiwan; block U.S. military usage of Chinese semiconductor products and services; and take steps to strengthen the NATO alliance. In addition, the bill would transfer authority to prosecute sexual assaults from the military chain of command to independent prosecutors in the U.S. criminal justice system.
Floor Debate, Pro & Con:
Jack Reed, D-R.I., said China “poses a serious potential threat to our national security as the only country in the world capable of mounting a sustained challenge to our interests. In addition, Russia has demonstrated its willingness to inflict violence and undermine the global order while states like Iran and North Korea continue to push the boundaries of military brinkmanship. Threats like terrorism, climate change and pandemics remain persistent….The passage of the FY23 NDAA will be a critical step toward meeting these complex challenges.”
No senator spoke against the bill.
A yes vote was to send the bill to President Biden for his signature.
APPROVING $40 BILLION AID TO UKRAINE
Voting 368 for and 57 against, the House on May 10, 2022, approved a $40 billion aid package (HR 7691) for Ukraine that provided, in part, $13.9 billion in economic and humanitarian assistance administered by the U.S. Department of State; $9.1 billion to replenish U.S. military stocks depleted by previous donations to Ukraine; $6 billion for weapons, equipment and military training; $4.3 billion for Agency for International Development outlays; $3.9 billion for the U.S. European Command; $900 million in refugee support for countries including Poland; and $2 million for nuclear security in Ukraine.
The bill was supported by all 219 Democrats who voted and 149 of the 206 Republicans who voted. The funding, which was added to the deficit, was on top of $13.6 billion Congress approved for Ukraine soon after it was invaded by Russia on Feb. 24, 2022.
Floor Debate, Pro & Con
Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said to Republican opponents of the bill: “Is this Abraham Lincoln’s party we are hearing today? Or is it a cult of Donald Trump? We have to decide which side America is going to be on….It is incumbent upon us as the leader of the democratic world, if that is still what we want to be, to support democracies under attack by authoritarian regimes.”
Chip Roy, R-Texas, said to Democrats: “We got $40 billion that is unpaid for and you want to sit here and lecture this body about what we are going to do or not do about standing alongside Ukraine? Why don’t we talk about the American people who are hurting; the wide-open borders; the inflation that is killing people; the jobs that people can’t get because of the cost of goods and services in this country.”
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it was passed and sent to President Biden, who signed it into law (PL 117-128) on June 25, 2022. Senate vote here.
EXPRESSING SOLIDARITY WITH THE CUBAN PEOPLE
Voting 382 for and 40 against, the House on Nov. 3, 2021, adopted a resolution (H Res 760) expressing U.S. solidarity with the people of Cuba in their defiance of the Communist regime that has ruled the island nation since 1959. The non-binding resolution was focused on street demonstrations on July 11, 2021, that reportedly were the largest mass protests in Cuba in a quarter century, with many of those arrested that day still imprisoned. The resolution deplored “Cuba’s continued repression of its people, its worsening economic situation, and shortages of food and medicine,” among other grievances. And it urged steps the Biden administration to expand Internet access there and speed the flow of “remittances, medical supplies and other forms of support from the United States to directly benefit the Cuban people in ways that alleviate humanitarian suffering without providing [U.S.] dollars to the Cuban military.”
The resolution was supported by all 207 Republicans who voted and 175 of the 215 Democrats who voted. No opponents spoke in opposition.
Supporter Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said: “Unfortunately, there has been very little solidarity from the Biden administration. The administration has yet to even use technology available to the United States government and even the private sector to provide Internet so the Cuban people can communicate,” and has “failed to even support adequate funding for broadcasting into Cuba.”
Another supporter, Majority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said: “I hope that the valid concerns and differences members have on both sides of the aisle when it comes to Cuba will not preclude us from agreeing that we ought to stand in solidarity with those who are seeking the same rights that we enjoy in this extraordinary country in which we live.“
A yes vote was to adopt the resolution, which did not require Senate action.