WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today released the following statement after voting against a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would endanger women serving in the military, undermine America’s national security, and harm recruitment.  

“I represent thousands of servicemembers and their families, and these Virginians deserve our strongest possible support. We should be using the NDAA to make sure they have the tools they need to keep America safe, recruit the next generation of fighters, and maintain peace within our shores and around the world.

“Just last month, the U.S. House Armed Services Committee voted 58 to one to pass a strong, bipartisan NDAA. But this week, the House Freedom Caucus insisted on using this normally bipartisan bill as an experiment to test fringe ideas — including endangering the lives of women in the military who need emergency medical care and casting doubts on the effectiveness of vaccines. Rather than send a message to the world that both parties stand with our servicemembers — regardless of our policy disagreements, they chose to prioritize getting headlines.

“This partisan bill puts us on a dangerous path towards not being able to reach an agreement on funding our military. In the coming weeks, I look forward to the U.S. Senate delivering a more sensible NDAA — and I look forward to voting for a bipartisan bill that will make it to the President’s desk, give our servicemembers the support they deserve, and strengthen America’s national security.”

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