Ranking Member McCollum Statement on House Passage of Extremist Defense Funding Bill

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, released the following statement after House passage of the Fiscal Year 2024 Defense Appropriations Act:

“At every turn, House Republicans have had opportunities to come develop a Defense funding bill that is bipartisan and meets our national security needs,” Ranking Member McCollum said. “Instead, with just two days left in the fiscal year, Speaker McCarthy pushed through a bill containing extreme social policy riders demanded by the far-right wing of his conference. As Ranking Member, I am concerned that these riders will signal to Americans who want to join our all-volunteer military that many are not welcome. These totally unnecessary provisions divide, they do not unite, and will have harmful consequences for recruitment and retention across the force. I also disagree with some of the reductions the majority has made. The cuts proposed to the civilian workforce will impact military readiness, burden service members with additional duties, and shift work to an expensive private sector. Cuts to climate resiliency programs will leave the Department more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

“To make matters worse, Republicans adopted amendments on the House Floor this week that made this bill even more extreme. The most egregious example is their passing an amendment reducing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s annual salary to $1. This is absolutely outrageous. Secretary Austin has been instrumental in helping Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion and strengthening defense partnerships around the world, and he has done nothing to merit such a personal, drastic attack.

“Instead of working to meet the needs of the American people, the Republican majority has decided to use the Appropriations process as an extreme social policy experiment. With no discernable plan in place for the remaining spending bills that need to pass to avoid a shutdown, and with time running out, Speaker McCarthy needs to stop appeasing extremists and begin working together with the White House and Democrats and Republicans in the Senate to pass a Continuing Resolution that will keep the government open and working."

Background:

For 2024, the bill provides $826.2 billion, $285 million above the request, and $29.4 billion above last year’s level.

This legislation:

• Undermines our democracy by allowing disinformation campaigns and extremist views to flourish.

• Cuts vital civilian positions at a time when the Department is struggling to meet readiness goals.

• Fails to invest in critical climate change programs that are necessary to protect our installations.

• Harms readiness with divisive provisions that undermine morale and fail to support our service personnel, by:

o Attacking the LGBTQ+ community with hateful provisions;

o Preventing service personnel from traveling to seek reproductive health care; and

o Banning funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

The 2024 funding bill cuts:

• $1.1 billion in salaries of civilian personnel which will harm oversight of waste, fraud, and abuse and limit the ability of the Department to implement acquisition programs and provide insights for our research and development programs.

• $714.8 million for climate-related programs which limit the Department’s ability to update installations into the 21st century and includes a ban on funding for greenhouse gas reduction initiatives.

• $114.7 million through a ban on funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

The bill includes partisan riders that have nothing to do with national security:

• Bans funding for travel expenses for reproductive healthcare needs for Service members and their families.

• Includes legislative text which cuts funding for the Deputy Inspector General for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility and any funds that may be used to implement, administer, apply, enforce, or care out the Executive Orders on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility.

• Bans funding for surgical procedures or hormone therapies for gender-affirming care.

• Bans funding which “promote, host, facilitate, or support events on U.S. military installations or as part of military recruiting programs that violate the Department of Defense Joint Ethics Regulation or bring discredit upon the military, such as drag queen story hour for children or the use of drag queens as military recruiters.”

• Bans funding for any activity that promotes or advances Critical Race Theory.

• Bans funding that may be used to classify or facilitate classification of any communications by a U.S. person as “mis, dis, or mal-information” – this would permit the spread of falsehoods without the ability to present the facts.

• Bans security clearances for any signatory to the “Public Statement on the Hunter Biden Emails” dated October 19, 2020; limiting the free speech of those expressing ideas the majority opposes.

• Creates a license for people and organizations to discriminate against LGBTQI+ people under the guise of religious liberty and prevents the federal government from adequately responding– language that limits the diversity of our military.

• Bans the flying of Pride flags on any military installations.

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