Congressional Letters R Street Vote Alert: Additional Amendments to FY22 NDAA
As the Senate considers the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (S. 2792/H.R. 4350), the R Street Institute urges Senators to vote accordingly on the following amendments:
- NO on SA 4653: Sponsored by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), this amendment would add an additional $25.35 billion in authorizations to the already bloated underlying bill, which is itself $25 billion over the Pentagon’s FY22 request. A $25 billion plus-up, let alone a $50 billion plus-up, is unjustified given both our unsustainable debt and the significant reductions in costs thanks to the end of the Afghanistan conflict. In addition to being unaffordable, the Wicker amendment misuses the emergency designation for ongoing Navy and Coast Guard shipyard activities in order to avoid paying for this additional spending or tampering with the agreed-upon discretionary spending limits for FY22, thereby freeing up funds without establishing much-needed priorities.
- YES on SA 4133: Sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), this amendment would repeal both the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which are outdated and at-risk for abuse from future administrations. These decades-old authorizations are not pertinent to current military activities and their repeal will not leave troops serving overseas at risk. This is an important step for Congress to reclaim its constitutional war powers. Learn more here.
- YES on SA 4632: Sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), this amendment would update the National Emergencies Act, which previously allowed certain “emergencies” to linger for decades and enabled presidents to bypass Congress to enact preferred policies. Specifically, it would end future emergency declarations after 30 days, unless extended by Congress. The amendment would also scrutinize ongoing “emergencies.” Learn more here.
- YES on SA 3899: Sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), this amendment would improve contractor whistleblower law, expanding protections to federal contractors and grantees who blow the whistle on fraudulent and wasteful spending. R Street is part of a coalition that supports this amendment.
- YES on SA 4462: Sponsored by Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Sen. Robert Portman (R-Ohio), this amendment would end a strange carve-out for Department of Justice attorneys in the Inspector General Act of 1978, instead permitting the department’s inspector general to investigate potential misconduct by federal attorneys. This would increase accountability and bring the department in line with the standard practice of other federal agencies. R Street is part of a broad coalition that supports this amendment.
