Moulton Statement on NDAA Rule "No" Vote

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Seth Moulton issued the following statement after voting against a procedural rule to advance the National Defense Authorization Act today. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Moulton plays an active role in the creation of the annual must-pass bill, which dictates our nation's defense priorities.

Passing any truly bipartisan bill is incredibly challenging in today’s hyper-polarized Washington, but we have a remarkable record of doing so on the Armed Services Committee. Being an election year, this time took extra effort—on both sides—to get to a final NDAA that eliminated the poison pill amendments that politicize and weaken our military. But despite an agreement to deliver a clean version of the bill, Speaker Johnson injected his conservative partisan politics at the last minute before the bill came to the House floor.

Today, I voted against the rule to move the bill forward because I refuse to reward the Speaker for jamming ideological riders into such an important piece of legislation, essentially forcing members to choose between protecting a vulnerable population and paying our troops. This is bad faith policymaking and it sets a terrible precedent for the annual defense bill going forward. This provision plays politics with our nation’s defense.

Let me be clear, as a matter of principle, I believe Congress should not be legislating complex medical decisions that are best decided by medical science, doctors, patients, and their families.