WASHINGTON—Today, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-13) released the following statement on the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022:

“For the third year in a row, I voted against the National Defense Authorization Act. This year’s NDAA funnels another $768 billion into our ever-bloated defense budget—$25 billion more than even President Biden requested—and flies in the face of every American struggling to make ends meet amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“My residents sent me to Washington to be a fierce defender of their priorities and fight to enact policies that would make a meaningful difference in their lives. This bill does not meet that standard and is a $768-billion missed opportunity to address my residents’ priorities. I simply could not support the FY22 NDAA as my residents continue to face concentrated poverty, growing health care costs, decreasing education funding, and continuous assaults on our environment. Instead, I support—and have since my first day in office—the long-overdue dismantling of our country’s military-industrial complex so that we can finally put a stop to forever wars and reinvest into providing our communities with the resources they need and deserve.

“While I could not vote in favor of the NDAA, I am proud that four of my amendments were adopted with bipartisan support, addressing critical issues facing our servicemembers:

• Amendment #266: Strengthens servicemember protections regarding medical debt collections and credit reporting, including prohibiting the collection of medical debt for the first two years and prohibiting debt arising from medically necessary procedures from ever appearing on servicemember credit reports;
• Amendment #432: Adds a requirement that individuals in charge of oversight of privatized military housing be evaluated on their performance addressing instances and concerns about housing discrimination;
• Amendment #433: Clarifies that surveys on diversity, equity and inclusion and annual reports on sexual assaults and racial and ethnic demographics in the military justice system must address islamophobia; and
• Amendment #434: Directs the Secretary of State to submit a plan to Congress for vetting foreign security assistance participants for participation in groups that have a violent ideology.

“I am once again deeply disappointed by the passage of yet another overly bloated defense spending bill, but I will continue to fight for the future residents of Michigan’s 13^th Congressional District and communities across the country like it deserve. There is too much at stake not to.”