Key Vote YES on Important Amendments to NDAA, H.R. 2810

On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and urge him or her to vote YES on the important amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2018, H.R. 2810.

FreedomWorks recognizes that some of the amendments below may not make it to the floor, as the House Rules Committee is still in the process of considering amendments. As is always the case, FreedomWorks reserves the right to key vote any amendment or procedural vote on legislation.

  • Amendment #66: Sponsored by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), the amendment would add a criminal intent standard, or mens rea, to Section 1021(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012. Indefinite detention was the most controversial part of the NDAA for FY 2012. This would increase limitations on use of indefinite detention by requiring the accused to have knowingly committed such an offense.

  • Amendment #52: Sponsored by Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the amendment would strike the proposed prohibition against another round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) and establish a new round of BRAC. A 2013 report by the conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI) estimated that the first four rounds of BRAC save approximately $8 billion annually. The 2005 BRAC is saving nearly $4 billion annually.

  • Amendment #67: Sponsored by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif,), the amendment would strike the proposed prohibition against another round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC).

  • Amendment #69: Sponsored by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), the amendment would force the Department of Defense to audit its budget. The Pentagon is already required to do so but has repeatedly failed to actually follow the law, for reasons both intentional and unintentional. The amendment would cut the spending of the Pentagon by one half of 1 percent of discretionary spending until it accomplishes the audit.

  • Amendment #85: Sponsored by Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), the amendment would require the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to defense-related committees in Congress on the readiness of defense and military agencies auditable financial statements. The Pentagon is already statutorily required to undergo an audit but has repeatedly failed to actually follow the law.

  • Amendment #122: Sponsored by Michael Turner (R-Ohio), the amendment would strike the section of NDAA that establishes the Space Corps inside the Air Force. The White House and Secretary James Mattis oppose the creation of a Space Corps, which will add another level of bureaucracy and additional costs. The amendment would require the Department of Defense to submit a report to Congress on the potential establishment of a Space Corps.

  • Amendment #345: Sponsored by Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Justin Amash (R-Mich.), the amendment would prohibit the Department of Defense from using funds to mandate or request manufacturers of electronics and software developers to create “backdoors” to bypass security protections.

  • Amendment #371: Sponsored by Rep. Michael Conaway (R-Texas), the amendment readiness of defense and military agencies auditable financial statements.

  • Amendment #388: Sponsored by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), the amendment prohibits the Department of Defense from executing certain requirements of Executive Order 13693, which required that federal agencies meet greenhouse gas reduction targets. Like all climate alarmist mandates, this executive order will impose a significant burden on taxpayers while federal agencies seek to meet unrealistic and arbitrary targets. President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13693 on March 19, 2015.

FreedomWorks will count the votes for these amendments when calculating our Scorecard for 2017 and reserves the right to score votes for amendments not listed above. The scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the FreedomFighter Award, which recognizes Members of the House and Senate who consistently vote to support economic freedom and individual liberty.

Sincerely,

Adam Brandon, President, FreedomWorks