Mike Gallagher: “I stand before you today in strong support of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. This year's…”

“I stand before you today in strong support of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. This year's NDAA includes a top-line budget that restores funding for shipbuilding, procurement, missile defense, and a number of other priorities that will help ensure the national defense of our great Nation. The NDAA continues to support and improve the lives of those who sacrifice for our country on a daily basis by authorizing a military basic pay raise of 2.7 percent. The bill reinforces the committee's longstanding commitment to the military family by requiring DOD to increase parental leave, expand the in-home childcare pilot program, it improves support available to military families with special needs children, and provides comprehensive reform of DOD's family violence prevention and response program. It also requires the Department to standardize the definition of professional military education across the joint force. It requires DOD to report to Congress on the number of military personnel infected with COVID-19 at the 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan, China. It increases funding for COVID-19 vaccine research, while providing $35 million for research and treatment of Havana syndrome. Madam Speaker, this is an outstanding NDAA. I want to thank the chairman and ranking member for their tireless efforts in working together to preserve the bipartisan spirit of this committee.…”