West Florida News

WASHINGTON —  U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) introduced thirteen amendments to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to ensure that the safety and security of the American people are at the forefront of our military’s budget and strategy. The NDAA is an annual bill to authorize U.S. Department of Defense spending levels. The legislation sets overarching military policy to equip, supply, and train our troops, provide for military families, and carry out national security priorities.

“I filed thirteen amendments to this year’s NDAA to ensure our military’s budget prioritizes the safety and security of the American people. My amendments are commonsense and will make our nation safer and stronger. To name a few: Military personnel who chose to avoid the COVID-19 vaccine should be reinstated with backpay, DEI activities should not be funded in the Armed Forces, and state sponsors of terrorism should not be able to purchase U.S. real estate,” said Rep. Steube.

“My amendment directing the DoD’s Office of Inspector General to report to Congress on the U.S. taxpayer-funded assistance to Ukraine will provide critical transparency to the American people on the billions we sent to Ukraine, since this administration has failed to do so,” said Rep. Steube.

Rep. Steube introduced the following amendments to:

1. Prohibit the use of Federal funds for any DEI activity in the Armed Forces, National Academies, and Department of Defense (DOD).

2. Direct the Department of Defense (DOD) to allow trademarks owned or controlled by DOD to be combined with religious insignia on commercial identification tags (i.e., dog tags) and to be sold by lawful trademark licensees.

3. Provide statutory authority for the Department of Defense (DOD) to allow a service member to carry a concealed firearm while on any military installation. 4. DOD must establish a single authority within the department to issue permits for this purpose. To be eligible for a permit, the service member must be on active duty and must not be prohibited under federal law from purchasing, owning, or possessing a firearm.

5. Amend Title 10 to allow veterans in priority groups 1-3 to receive coverage under TRICARE Select. A covered veteran may not concurrently receive medical care from Department of Defense (DOD) and the VA

6. Reinstate members of the Armed Forces, or a cadet or midshipman at a federal service academy, who refused to receive a vaccination against COVID–19 and provide back pay.

7. Direct the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General to provide detailed oversight and report to Congress on the U.S. taxpayer-funded assistance to Ukraine no later than 180 days.

8. Require the President to impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions with respect to Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada and any foreign person that is a member, agent, or affiliate of, or owned or controlled by, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

9. Require the President to impose sanctions on foreign persons that knowingly engage in a significant transaction involving the rare earth mineral sector of Afghanistan. The President must impose property-blocking sanctions on such foreign persons, as well as visa-blocking sanctions on the individuals.

10. Require the President to direct federal agencies to promulgate rules and regulations to prohibit foreign adversaries or state sponsors of terrorism from purchasing real estate located in the United States.

11. Maintain that North Korea’s seizure of the USS Pueblo and its crew is a violation of international law and declares that the ship should be returned to the United States.

12. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enaction of this Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees the report that includes an assessment on Middle East cooperation efforts.

13. None of the amounts authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense may be made available, directly or indirectly, to the Badr Organization, Kata’ib al-Imam Ali, ‘Asaib ahl al-Haq, Saraya Khorsani, or any entity owned or controlled by the Badr Organization, ‘Asa’ib ahl al-Haq, or Saraya Khorasani.

14. The President may not exercise the authority, directly or indirectly related to, or ordinarily incident to any transnational energy agreement with, or for or on behalf of the Syrian Arab Republic, including the construction or operation of the Arab Gas Pipeline construction, or any successor entity. 

Original source can be found here.