{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://allen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4911", "Rep. Allen Supports National Defense Authorization Act", "2021-12-07", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "House", "GA", "Rick W. Allen", "A000372", "allen.house.gov", "allen", "https://allen.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) released the following statement after voting for final passage of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual bill that authorizes defense spending and sets priorities for America\u2019s military:\n\n\u201cCongress has an important duty to ensure America\u2019s military is equipped with the necessary resources to defend our nation while providing support to our service members and their families. This year\u2019s national defense bill delivers on these goals, bolstering defense spending and including a pay raise for our troops, while holding the Biden Administration accountable for its disastrous and incompetent withdrawal from Afghanistan.\n\n\u201cWe must also continue to prepare for the future of warfare and combat threats posed by our strategic adversaries, like Russia and China. I\u2019m proud of the work being done in Georgia\u2019s 12th District to do just that, and this bill secures vital funding for U.S. Army Cyber Command at Fort Gordon and the important missions at the Savannah River Site.\n\n\u201cWhile Democrats initially injected several controversial provisions such as \u2018Red Flag\u2019 laws and a requirement for women to register for the draft, I was glad to see they were ultimately rejected from the final bill. It is important that we never politicize our nation\u2019s military, and in a time of so much divisiveness, I\u2019m pleased to see Congress come together to support the men and women who courageously serve in uniform -- especially on the 80th anniversary of the attack at Pearl Harbor.\u201d\n\nThe Fiscal Year 2022 NDAA Conference Report:\n\nReverses President Biden\u2019s reckless cuts to our national security by boosting the defense topline by nearly $25 billion, ensuring growth of 5% from FY21.\n\nAuthorizes a 2.7% pay increase for service members and extends military recruitment and retention bonuses and special pay authorities.\n\nPreserves service members\u2019 free speech rights by protecting them from being punished for political statements on social media accounts.\n\nProhibits a dishonorable discharge for service members who refuse a COVID-19 vaccination and requires uniform procedures for vaccine exemptions.\n\nFocuses investment in new and emerging weapon systems capable of penetrating denied operating environments such as China.\n\nAuthorizes $250 million to conduct counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan and prohibits the Department of Defense (DoD) from providing any financial support to the Taliban.\n\nRequires the DoD to immediately submit a plan to Congress on how it will support the evacuation of American citizens from Afghanistan, maintain air superiority, conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, and carry out counter-terrorism operations.\n\nRequires a series of immediate reports to Congress on the following:\n\nNumber of Americans left behind in Afghanistan\n\nPersonally, identifying information and biometrics of Americans now in the hands of the Taliban\n\nItemized lists of aircraft, combat vehicles, and other U.S. military equipment left behind\n\nThreats posed by Al Qaeda and other terrorists operating in Afghanistan\n\nStrategic impacts of abandoning Bagram Air Base\n\nTaliban relationship with foreign terrorist organizations\n\nSecurity impacts on the Taliban release of terrorist prisoners\n\nFinancial assets and other resources available to the Taliban\n\nStrengthens Homeland Security by directing additional National Guard resources to the border and requiring an assessment of the impact on military readiness of DoD transporting illegal immigrants.\n\nProhibits the transfer of terrorists housed at Guantanamo Bay to any country that is a state sponsor of terrorism.\n\nProhibits the use of DoD funds to conduct research, including biomedical, infectious disease, and genomic research in China or with any entity controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.\n\nRequires DoD and Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to assess the involvement of the Chinese Communist Party in the origins of COVID-19.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://allen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4911"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5189810656011105, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}