REP LIEU STATEMENT ON FY22 DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL

December 7, 2021

Press Release

WASHINGTON -Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement after the House passed the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. The NDAA includes provisions authored by Congressman Lieu that will help ensure greater oversight of our military operations by Congress. Additionally, this year's NDAA takes historic action to combat sexual assault in the military, including reforms such as criminalizing sexual harassment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and removing the Commander from key decisions related to sexual assault and related crimes.

"I'm pleased that this year's NDAA includes important reforms to address sexual assault in the military, as well as provisions I authored to continue the prohibition of coalition aircraft refueling in Yemen and reform the practice of assignment restrictions at the State Department. Additionally, another provision I authored could help us one day utilize working dogs to detect early stages of diseases like COVID-19 and future viruses. Ultimately, this bill will help keep Americans safe while holding the federal government and our military accountable for its foreign policy and national security decisions."

Background on Rep. Lieu's Amendments:

Yemen Refueling Prohibition Amendment:Extends an existing prohibition on mid-air refueling of non-U.S. aircraft participating in hostilities in the civil war in Yemen for two years. Assignment Restrictions Amendment:Reforms the practice of Assignment Restrictions at the State Department by changing the appeals process and increasing the number of officials needed to agree to sustain an assignment restriction. The Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) imposes Assignment Restrictions on some employees who otherwise hold Top Secret clearances, precluding them from serving in a particular country or working on issues related to that country in Washington. These restrictions are often discriminatory, biased, and counterproductive to the goals of diversity, inclusion, and retention of talent at the State Department.COVID-19 Warrior Dog Amendment: Encourages the Department of Defense to fund additional research to determine the effectiveness of using scent detection working dogs to detect the early stages of diseases, including COVID-19, and upon detection, to alert the handler of the dog. The amendment requires a report to Congress from DOD on their plans to complete the research effort, and to rapidly transition to an operational program if the research demonstrates that the effort has merit.

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