SCHNEIDER STATEMENT ON NDAA

WASHINGTON-Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10), Chair-Elect of the New Democrat Coalition and a member of the House Foreign Affairs and Ways and Means Committees, released the following statement regarding his vote against the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act:

"Our troops deserve the pay raise, quality housing, better health care, and other provisions that are part of the FY25 NDAA, and I expected to vote in favor of the bill originally negotiated in good faith by Republicans and Democrats on the Armed Services Committee. However, the final text of the bill included a provision maliciously targeting military families with a dependent under the age of 18 diagnosed with gender dysphoria. By prohibiting any military family from full access to necessary medical care, we break our promise to all service members to support them and their loved ones as they lay their lives on the line in defense of our country.

"Protecting our nation's ability to defend itself is one of the most important responsibilities of Congress. It's why for more than six decades the NDAA has been a consistently bipartisan bill, negotiated in good faith by both sides of the aisle so that our troops can get paid and our military can be at the ready to defend our nation. Unfortunately, instead of prioritizing our troops and national security, Speaker Johnson decided to play petty politics and turn his back on the bipartisan work that again defined this year's NDAA process-even going around his own chairman who negotiated a good, fair bill. Not only is Speaker Johnson showing his willingness to play political games with the basic administration of our national security, he is also setting a concerning precedent for the way critical, must-pass legislation will be approached in the coming year-demonstrating once again that despite good faith, bipartisan negotiations, he will unilaterally upend the process with partisan riders.

"I will always do my best to negotiate agreements that reflect the values and priorities of my district, and I will always do so in good faith. I expect nothing more or less from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. We all, Democrats and Republicans, must be good to our word if we are going to successfully tackle the many challenges facing our country. Sadly, that was not the case today and therefore I voted no on the NDAA as brought to the floor. I am glad our troops will get the pay raise they deserve and I will continue to work to make sure we provide the resources and services necessary to support our service members and veterans, as well as their families."

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