Press Releases

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House passes Brat and Brooks’ amendment;

paved way for passage of clean National Defense Authorization Act

- Military funding bill passed this morning, stripped of language encouraging the military to recruit illegal immigrants -

(May 15, 2015) – Late Thursday night, the U.S. House passed an amendment cosponsored by Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) that stripped language from a must-pass defense bill that encouraged the U.S. armed forces to recruit illegal immigrants.

The House then passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) this morning with support from members who said they would not vote for a defense bill with the recruitment language included.

Earlier this month, Brat and Brooks issued a joint statement to bring attention to the language, which was added to the NDAA in a committee mark-up meeting in the middle of the night.  They then offered an amendment to strip the language from the NDAA, testified on the amendment, and brought attention to the language in columns and media interviews.

Media outlets credited Brat’s and Brook’s efforts for rallying members of House leadership against the language:  “[Rules Committee Chairman Pete] Sessions and [Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac] Thornberry support the Brooks amendment – thanks in large part to public pressure from Brooks, Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) and Rep. Steve King (R-IA), among other members….”

Statement from Brat:

“In a move that put the American people first, a majority in the House voted for an amendment Rep. Mo Brooks and I cosponsored that removed language from a national defense spending bill that encouraged our military to actively recruit illegal immigrants.  The recruitment push was even more offensive when you consider that the Pentagon is laying off tens of thousands of American troops as it downsizes our armed forces.  Especially in this time of increased terrorism, funding for our military and national security should never have been threatened by including such a controversial measure in the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act.

“With the language removed, today the House was able to pass the NDAA, which fulfills Congress’s constitutional obligation to provide for the common defense. 

“The NDAA improves our missile defense capabilities, including authorizing money for the design of an East Coast missile defense site, while also strengthening our cyber defenses by funding the U.S. Cyber Command and Military Service.  The NDAA increases troop pay and benefits, reinforces our mission to defeat ISIS by authorizing funds for security assistance to Iraqi forces, and provides aid to Ukraine to better defend itself against Russian aggression.

“Congress must provide our troops with the resources they need, but we must also be aware of the limitations that our national debt places on our ability to fund national defense.  That’s why this year’s NDAA funds our armed forces while complying with Congress’s balanced budget plan.  It authorizes $612 billion in spending for national defense and Overseas Contingency Operations for the War on Terror, but it also cuts waste and reallocates funds to more urgent priorities.”

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