Rep. Wenstrup votes to provide for U.S. military 

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) voted in favor of the final passage of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on the House floor.

"I am pleased to see our Congressional and Constitutional duties fulfilled with the final passage of this year's NDAA. This legislation gives our devoted service members a well-deserved pay increase and enhances the effectiveness of our fighting force. This bill, agreed upon by both the House and Senate, cuts and prohibits programs that inappropriately politicize the Armed Forces, including controversial policies like diversity, equity, and inclusion, and critical race theory," said Rep. Wenstrup. 

The bill includes two provisions Rep. Wenstrup championed: the COVID-19 Vaccine Study for Active Duty Members, and the Sensible Classification Act of 2023.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Study for Active Duty Members requires the Department of Defense to assess and compare the health of members of the Armed Forces on active duty who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine with the unvaccinated populations of 2017, 2018, and 2019. This report must be submitted to Congress one year after enactment and for four subsequent years.

The Sensible Classification Act requires training to reduce over-classifying within the Federal government, allows for more seamless transitions for members joining and leaving the Public Interest Declassification Board, requires an interagency technology-based solution to support efficient classification and declassification, and forces the head of Federal agencies to conduct a study on the number of security clearances needed at their agency. The legislation was originally introduced as the standalone bill H.R. 5977.

Background

Among other priorities, provisions within the bill:

• Support service members by providing a 5.2% increase in basic pay, the largest in 20 years;

• Fully fund the National Guard’s operation and deployment at the southwest border;

• Require DOD to use or transfer to the southwest border states all border wall materials in its possession;

• Require the Secretary of Defense to work with the Director of National Intelligence to determine if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) assisted in, or approved of, the transportation of pill presses, or fentanyl products or precursors to Mexican drug cartels;

• Create a Special Inspector General to oversee all U.S. security assistance to Ukraine, and investigate any waste, fraud, abuse, or corruption;

• Prohibit any adverse action on service members that refused the COVID-19 vaccine, and offers a mechanism for reinstatement of those separated for this reason;

• Prohibit funding for the teaching, training, or promotion of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the military;

• Place a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring freeze and caps pay;

• Prohibits DOD from issuing costly greenhouse gas rules or prematurely deploying electric vehicles;

• Require all DOD agencies to pass a full audit by the end of 2028 and mandates a 1.5 percent cut of funding to any DOD agency that fails;

• Prohibit DoD from contracting with any CCP owned or controlled company operating in the U.S.;

• Mandate an assessment of foreign control and influence over the supply chain for critical minerals and metals used for defense technologies

• Close loopholes so that the DoD cannot fund Confucius Institutes or contract with consulting firms that do business with the CCP; and

• Prohibit DOD from contracting with EcoHealth Alliance for any research supported by the CCP.