Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02), member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 217-199.
“Once again, House Republicans have derailed a bipartisan process for this year’s National Defense Authorization Act by adding harmful poison-pill policy riders that attack reproductive rights and health care for our service members and undermine a more diverse and inclusive military for women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people of color,” stated Rep. Jill Tokuda. “I was proud of the bipartisan bill we crafted in committee that addressed so many crucial Hawai‘i priorities that I fought for and made substantial quality-of-life improvements for service members and military families, but the amendments forced onto this bill by far-right Republicans have forced me to sadly vote against passage today. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will continue to work on this year’s NDAA with colleagues on both sides of the aisle and the Capitol to remove these poison-pill riders and protect the many positive provisions we’ve secured to advance our national security and support our service members and military families.”
###