Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to represent San Diego, the largest military community in the country that is home to over 118,000 servicemembers and their families. I know firsthand the recent challenges to recruit and retain servicemembers in every military branch. In my community, there are so many ships that are understaffed because there just aren't enough servicemembers. Too many people aren't joining or aren't staying in the military or even recommending it as a career path to their relatives because they can't afford childcare, safe housing, or to put food on the table. I am so proud of everything we were able to get into this bill to address these challenges, but we shouldn't do anything that undermines our military recruitment, retention, and readiness. Restricting healthcare access, whether it is removing my bipartisan and bicameral provision for IVF coverage or a gender affirming care ban for dependents does exactly that. Our priorities should be supporting our servicemembers and military families who sacrifice so much for us, not making their lives any harder. That is why, sadly, I will have to vote against this year's NDAA, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.”