During debate on the House floor, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) spoke in support of the FY2025 NDAA, and touted GOP policy riders within the funding package.
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00The gentleman from Indiana is recognized for two minutes.
00:02Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:03This is a strong NDAA, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
00:08It includes many important priorities that are essential to protecting our national security.
00:13It remains a must-pass legislation to care for our service members and their families.
00:20There are enormous wins in this bill for our service members and their families, starting
00:25with a 19.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members.
00:32It increases access to specialty medical care, expands childcare programs to reduce waitlists
00:39across the country, and it ensures our service members receive 100% of their housing costs
00:46through their basic allowance for housing.
00:50We must continue, as well, to gut the woke bureaucracy at the DOD, and this bill does
00:57that.
00:58It contains many provisions, including a requirement that all military personnel actions are based
01:04on merit, without regard to race or color or sexuality or your political views.
01:10There is a ban in this bill on affirmative action at our service academies.
01:15By the end of this week, I expect this bill will also include more important provisions
01:21like a hiring freeze on all DEI personnel, a ban on overpaid chief diversity officers,
01:29and a complete ban on funding for critical race theory across the DOD.
01:35This bill builds on the foundation of last year's NDAA, curtailing the impact that this
01:41administration's woke leftist policies can have on our troops.
01:48But as we have seen just this week with the Air Force in Korea authorizing the wearing
01:53of pride patches on Air Force uniforms, or how a DODEA school in Bahrain honored a known
02:00anti-Semite and activist on their Facebook page, DEI and leftist politics in the Biden
02:08Pentagon is still firmly entrenched, and we must do something about it.
02:13Mr. Chairman, this bill is a huge step forward to supporting our service members and their
02:17families.
02:18It is our promise that they receive the pay and benefits necessary to focus on their mission,
02:24that their children are cared for and well educated.
02:27We can't do enough to make sure that that happens, and this bill goes a long way to
02:30do it.
02:31Mr. Chairman, I yield back.