Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia Statement on Vote Against FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX-29) issued the following statement following passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act:

"Tonight, the House voted on the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). I am proud the bill secured a historic 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and 4.5 percent pay raise for all other servicemembers. It also included many other provisions I've long supported-like eliminating copayments for contraceptives and making critical improvements in housing, health care, childcare, and spousal support.

"Ultimately, with profound disappointment, I voted against the NDAA. The bill failed to include a single mention of combatting sexual assault in our armed forces, following the progress we made with the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act. This NDAA also failed to include my SAYFE Act, which would require the Department of Defense to provide annual sexual abuse prevention training for high school students participating in the military's JROTC program.

"And to add insult to injury, Speaker Johnson and MAGA Republicans injected partisan politics into what should be a unifying, bipartisan piece of legislation by adding a provision to deny healthcare for transgender children of our servicemembers. This poison pill is unnecessary and divisive. On top of that, the bill also fails to address key priorities like expanding access to IVF treatment. Our defense policy should focus on supporting those who serve and their families, not fueling partisan culture wars at the expense of our military readiness and national security."