Washington, DC — Today, the Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Jim Himes (CT-04), issued the following statement regarding the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act:
“Extremist Republicans have proven time and time again that they will happily advance their regressive culture war issues at the expense of our national security. Today’s vote is no different as they force attacks on women, people of color, and the LGBTQI+ community into what should be a straightforward defense bill.
“I applaud Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith for reporting a bipartisan bill out of the Armed Services Committee. Unfortunately, Republican leadership has refused to take this critical legislation seriously and allowed the adoption of dozens of toxic amendments. They have once again chosen to coddle their most extreme MAGA members. I will not support this agenda — I voted no today with the hopes of moving towards a thoughtful, moderate National Defense Authorization Act that actually represents the best interests of our men and women in uniform."