Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) released the following statement after she voted with her bipartisan colleagues to pass the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act, which included two of her amendments:
“As freedom and democracy come under threat from adversaries across the globe, maintaining our military readiness and national security is important as ever. It’s also our duty to support the safety and wellbeing of all the dedicated men and women serving in our Armed Forces.
Today, I voted with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this year’s NDAA, which will help ensure our military remains the most capable in the world, protect our citizens and borders, and improve the quality of life of our brave service members.
Too often, I’ve heard from junior enlisted service members and their families about how pay has not kept pace with inflation, making it difficult for them to put food on the table or grow their families. The legislation will give a 19.5 percent pay raise to junior enlisted service members who answer the call to serve. It also will invest in healthcare services, military housing conditions, access to childcare, and support for childcare providers.
Included in the bill is my amendment to improve the military’s ability to fix its own equipment. When military technicians aren’t able to fix equipment in the field because of restrictive contracting terms, it harms our military readiness and maintenance technicians who want to work with their hands to fix things, not get stuck on a phone call with a manufacturer.
My FULL Act was also passed as an amendment, which will cut wasteful spending on unused government office space – that way hardworking taxpayers aren’t footing the bill for empty buildings and their landlords.
Unfortunately, the extreme fringe of Congress weaponized this historically bipartisan bill to wage partisan culture wars. I voted against these harmful amendments – and as the House and Senate work toward compromise on the NDAA, I look forward to a final version that fully protects the freedoms and respects the sacrifice of our service members.”
In April, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez testified before the House Armed Services Committee in support of including her military right to repair amendment in the FY25 NDAA. Video of her testimony can be found here.
In March, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez’s bipartisan FULL Act also passed the House as an amendment to the USE IT Act, which is awaiting consideration by the Senate. Video of her remarks on the House Floor in support of the legislation can be found here.