WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Scott Peters (D-CA-50) released the following statement after voting against the politically charged National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024:

“For the first time in my 10 years in Congress, I am voting no on the NDAA. Every year we have heated debates over the defense budget, but we always come together and find common ground in order to put our servicemembers and national defense first. This year the process was hijacked by a group of far right extremists who inserted into the process their radical war on books, LGBTQ rights, and women’s healthcare just to name a few. It is regrettable that the majority has gone along with them and come up with a bill that advances culture wars instead of our readiness for war.

“I hope the Senate will send us back a bill that strips out these problematic provisions, prioritizes our service members, and maintains the wins we have secured for San Diego. These wins include funds to build new health and dental centers for our troops and their families, electrical grid improvements at MCAS Miramar and Naval Base San Diego, funding for a Naval Special Warfare Command Operations Support Facility at Naval Base Coronado, and my amendments to bolster the ship repair industry in San Diego. I will also continue to use every tool to fight for my priorities that did not make it into the bill including my amendment to call on the federal government to declare the flow of wastewater and other toxic pollutants from the Tijuana River Valley a federal emergency.

“We must put an end to the political games and return to an NDAA that advances our national security and support San Diego’s enduring role in our national defense.”