Dem Women’s Caucus Warns Speaker Johnson: Attacks on Reproductive Care will Jeopardize Final Passage of NDAA

June 11, 2024

Washington D.C. – Today, Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Chair Lois Frankel (FL-22), Vice Chairs Nikema Williams (GA-05) and Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Policy Co-Chairs Kathy Manning (NC-06) and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Chief Whip Lucy McBath (GA-07) urged Speaker Johnson to not allow attacks on reproductive health care in the Service Member Quality of Life Investment Act and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (NDAA)—and warned that including amendments that attack reproductive care will jeopardize the final passage of the NDAA.

The DWC letter comes as the House of Representatives prepares to take up the NDAA this week. The bill passed out of the House Armed Services Committee with robust bipartisan support and included key wins for women and families. Last year, extreme House Republicans tainted the FY24 NDAA with harmful anti-abortion riders, resulting in the Democratic Women’s Caucus formally opposing the bill.

“At a time when servicewomen need our support, we implore you to keep politics out of the NDAA process,” the members wrote to Speaker Johnson. “Their access to reproductive health care should not be used as a bargaining chip in a bill designed to enhance the safety, readiness, and quality of life for our service members. Servicewomen stand up for our freedoms every day. We now ask that you stand with them and protect their individual reproductive freedoms. Including amendments that attack reproductive care will jeopardize the final passage of the NDAA.”

Read the full letter HERE and below:

June 11, 2024

The Honorable Mike Johnson
Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
H-232, The Capitol
Washington D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Johnson,
As the House of Representatives prepares to consider H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Investment Act and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (NDAA), we urge you to reject attempts to politicize this bipartisan bill by keeping divisive amendments attacking service members' access to reproductive health care out of the legislation.

We were proud to see provisions benefitting women and families included in the bill passed by the House Armed Services Committee on a bipartisan basis. These provisions expand access to birth control and childcare and establish a pilot program to help address maternal mental health conditions, among other beneficial measures. We commend the leadership of the House Armed Services Committee for negotiating and passing this bill, and we urge you to uphold this bipartisan effort.

At a time when servicewomen need our support, we implore you to keep politics out of the NDAA process. Their access to reproductive health care should not be used as a bargaining chip in a bill designed to enhance the safety, readiness, and quality of life for our service members.

Servicewomen stand up for our freedoms every day. We now ask that you stand with them and protect their individual reproductive freedoms. Including amendments that attack reproductive care will jeopardize the final passage of the NDAA.

Thank you. We stand ready to work together to deliver for servicewomen and their families.

Sincerely,

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