The yearly National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) awaits final approval in the House. Some Republicans have signaled they intend to vote against the bill due to several provisions the Senate approved, such as the extension of FISA surveillance, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the Pentagon, and similar "woke" policies across the military. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) summed up the opposition on the House floor, saying he "regrets" having to vote against the NDAA for including these policies.
"Only in Washington must we bring a bill to the floor so that we are able to militarily confront China while at the same time embracing the policies that make the United States more like China," Rep. Gaetz said on the floor, referencing the scandal of a shocking 278,000 abuses of FISA surveillance warrants by employees to spy on personal enemies, which Rep. Gaetz interrogated FBI Christopher Wray about in July.
Gaetz said the extension of FISA, albeit briefly, would be more tolerable had the Senate agreed to cut spending. However, "you almost feel like a parent who has sent a child off to summer camp, and they have come back a monster."
Additionally, he blasted the Senate for altering the House's provision capping the salary of DEI officers in the Armed Forces by saying, "So long as that 'social justice warrior' is assigned any other responsibility, they are able to blow through that cap and waste taxpayer money on something that does not enhance our lethality, capability, or survivability."
Other Republicans, such as Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), have similarly argued against the implementation of "woke" policies in the military, saying they do not enhance the Armed Forces' capabilities, instead making it political.
Gaetz concluded by decrying the NDAA as "insufficient to deal with the structural challenges that we have at the Department of Defense where they have veered substantially left. There is good in the bill, but it does not deserve an affirmative vote with this absolutely unnecessary and uncalled-for extension of spying authorities that we already know have been abused."
Gaetz posted his speech on X (formerly Twitter):
I regret that I rise in opposition to the FY24 NDAA because there is a great deal of good in it.
But only in Washington must we bring a bill to the floor so that we are able to militarily confront China, while at the same time embracing the policies that make the United States… pic.twitter.com/SNPCOskkkd
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) December 14, 2023
