Key Vote YES on the Sanford Amendment to H.R. 5293 for Responsible Spending
As one of our over 5.7 million FreedomWorks activists nationwide, I urge you to contact your representative and ask them to vote YES on Rep. Sanford’s (R-SC) amendment to H.R. 5293, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2017. The amendment would keep in place the U.S. military’s current practice of providing vouchers to recruits allowing them to pick the shoe of their choice. Recently, legislation passed the House and Senate that would change this practice and cost the taxpayers over $300 million. Rep. Sanford’s amendment to H.R. 5293 is expected to be considered on the House floor tomorrow, June 16.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed by the House in May, and by the Senate this week, contained a de facto earmark for one company: New Balance. The new language would require that all shoes for our service members are American made, despite the fact that the Department of Defense opposes this approach. Only New Balance can currently meet this requirement.
The de facto earmark also carries serious implications for American troops as this one-size-fits-all approach to footwear would lead to an increase in injuries. The Department of Defense has concluded that the new language in the NDAA “would directly lead to a higher recruit injury rate at basic training,” Clearly, his amendment is needed to protect American troops and halt an egregious example of crony capitalism. Rep. Sanford’s amendment would keep this provision from coming into effect by not funding it.
Please contact your representative and ask them to vote YES on the Sanford amendment to H.R. 5293 to help support the health of our troops. FreedomWorks will count the vote on this bill as a Key Vote when calculating our Congressional Scorecard for 2016. The scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the FreedomFighter Award, which recognizes Members of Congress who consistently vote to support economic freedom and individual liberty.
Sincerely,
Adam Brandon, President and CEO, FreedomWorks
