WASHINGTON — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) joined 196 House Democrats and three House Republicans in voting against a hyper-partisan National Defense Authorization Act that would take away reproductive health care access from our nation’s servicemembers.  

“Congress should always be able to put politics aside when it comes to protecting our national security and supporting our servicemembers. But once again, Republican House Leadership has put forward a hyper-partisan National Defense Authorization Act that ignores the realities of a divided legislature,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to pass a bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act that respects the rights of those who put their lives on the line in service to our country every single day.” 

This week, House Republican Leadership once again made the decision to allow hyper-partisan amendments to be added to the National Defense Authorization Act that disrespect our servicemembers and strip them of their essential freedoms — including access to reproductive health care. Budzinski will continue working with her Senate colleagues to pass a bipartisan version of the National Defense Authorization Act before the end of the year. 

Despite the inclusion of these harmful amendments, Budzinski was encouraged to have her bipartisan BOOTS Actincluded in the House package. Budzinski led Representatives Mike Bost (IL-12), Rick Crawford (AR-01), Seth Moulton (MA-06) and Dusty Johnson (SD) in introducing the bill as an amendment to the NDAA to ensure that all of our military personnel’s footwear is made in the United States in line with critical safety standards. 

Notwithstanding the Berry Amendment, which requires the military to give preference to domestically produced products, the market for Army soldier footwear has been taken over by foreign manufacturers that meet metrics for appearance while skirting crucial safety guidelines and quality standards. The BOOTS Act would address safety concerns for our military personnel while bringing military footwear manufacturing back home to the United States with American-sourced materials. The legislation would support domestic military footwear production at places like the Belleville Shoe Manufacturing Company. 

Budzinski will continue advocating for her amendment to be included in a final, bipartisan version of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.