WASHINGTON – Thursday, Congresswoman Mary Miller (IL-15) voted against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), saying the measure "provides the American people with zero accountability for the disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan and requires young girls to register for the military draft."
"As of today, neither Secretary Lloyd Austin nor General Mark Milley have testified or resigned over the disaster they created in Afghanistan,” Miller said. “We still have no idea if $20 billion or $80 billion in weapons is now in the hands of the Taliban and al Qaeda. We have no idea how many al Qaeda terrorists were released from the prison at Bagram. The Biden Administration's incompetence left us with 13 dead Americans because they were relying on the Taliban to secure their perimeter, and now the Administration is asking for a blank check for the NDAA. Why on earth would we sign off on this?”
Miller was the only Republican from Illinois to vote "No," along with three Democrats from Illinois – Danny Davis, Chuy Garcia and Jan Schakowsky.
The National Defense Authorization Act passed the House Thursday evening without Speaker Pelosi requiring testimony from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin or Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley after the Department severely mismanaged the withdrawal of U.S. troops and personnel from Afghanistan, Miller's office wrote in a press release.
"This year, House Democrats chose to hijack the Defense bill to further their progressive, Leftist agenda by requiring teenage girls to register for the military draft,” Miller said. “House Democrats believe that gender no longer exists, and the media is helping them force this deranged concept on the American people. Instead of defending our country from the serious threats we face, the Biden Administration wants our military focused on teaching critical race theory and firing Navy Seals for not taking the COVID vaccine. The American people must wake up to the dangerous agenda of House Democrats and this Administration.”