The House Rules Committee will be reviewing whether to move a House version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to a floor vote at a hearing scheduled for Tuesday.
The NDAA is the annual budget for the military and defense. The House’s version of the bill for this year totals around $883 billion and includes funding for ongoing military programs such as aircraft, ships, vehicles, and weapons. It also proposes a 4.5 percent pay increase for all U.S. service members and a 19.5 percent pay raise for some junior service members.
In the past few weeks, House Democrats and Republicans have proposed a total of 1,382 amendments, which the Rules Committee will review on Tuesday before deciding whether to advance the bill for full consideration by the House.
Republicans Aim to Limit LGBT, Gender Identity, Diversity Programs
Several of the partisan NDAA amendments proposed by Republicans seek to restrict the military’s focus on diversity and LGBT representation in recent years.
Tlaib Proposes Espionage Act Reforms
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) submitted an amendment aimed at amending the Espionage Act to prevent government abuse targeting journalists and whistleblowers.
A coalition of 19 press freedom, civil liberties, human rights, and whistleblower protection organizations penned a letter to House Rules Committee Chair Richard Burgess (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) urging them to prioritize Ms. Tlaib’s amendment during committee deliberations.
The U.S. government is currently pursuing charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange under the Espionage Act. In November, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Greene, and other lawmakers called on President Joe Biden to drop the Espionage Act case against Mr. Assange.
Gaetz Amendment Aims to Assist Troops Discharged Over COVID Vaccines
Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) introduced an amendment to provide backpay and bonuses for service members discharged for refusing COVID-19 vaccines.
Their proposed amendment also includes a 90-day window for discharged service members to return to service at their previous rank and grade.
Can you please rewrite this for me?
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