To Protect the Freedoms of Servicewomen, Sherrill Votes No on Defense Budget Corrupted by Extreme GOP Amendments

“I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a bill that so severely harms our servicemembers.”

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), a Navy veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted no on the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the first time after Republican Members of Congress put forth a bill that included their most extreme, far right policies, including drastic further restrictions on reproductive rights for servicewomen and military families.

“For five years, the NDAA has been a chief responsibility of mine as a member of the House Armed Services Committee. I am a former Navy helicopter pilot and a Naval Academy graduate and I deeply believe in our national defense and security. So it is with a heavy heart but a clear conscience, that I must vote no on this poor excuse for a bill that so severely harms our servicemembers.

“The NDAA is historically a bipartisan piece of legislation, but Speaker McCarthy has given the far right extremists everything they’ve asked for. They’ve transformed this into a partisan bill that makes America weaker, not stronger. Furthermore, this bill makes our servicewomen pawns in their extreme anti-abortion agenda and is a stepping stone to larger bans, restrictions, and wholesale disregard for women’s healthcare in America. Because of that, I cannot support this legislation in its current form.”

Rep. Sherrill fought tirelessly for her amendment that would’ve codified the current DoD abortion travel policy. The Republican Majority flat out rejected it and instead chose to advance Rep. Ronny Jackson’s amendment that does the opposite. Sherrill argued adamantly against this policy and led the floor debate in opposition of the amendment. 

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