Mazie Hirono: “I rise today to acknowledge the work we have done on a bipartisan basis to draft this year's National Defense…”

“I rise today to acknowledge the work we have done on a bipartisan basis to draft this year's National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA. At more than 1,800 pages, this bill contains wins for our country, our military, and our servicemembers. It provides a raise to all servicemembers, with an even bigger raise for junior enlisted troops. It invests billions in needed military infrastructure in Hawaii and throughout the Indo-Pacific region--investments that are critical as we work to counter China's influence and support our allies and partners in the region. I am proud that it contains a provision I fought for to create a new ``major mishaps'' classification to ensure better oversight and accountability of major incidents like the 2021 fuel spills at the Red Hill fuel storage facility on Oahu, which impacted over 93,000 people. All of these provisions and many more will support our military, our servicemembers, and their families. In fact, our priority should be supporting the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families, and that includes making sure they have access to quality healthcare. But instead of focusing on the things that matter, such as healthcare, Republicans demanded the inclusion of a provision prohibiting TRICARE from covering gender-affirming care for minors. Despite efforts to stop this provision, to strip this provision from this bill during conference, it is in there.…”