Free Republic

Lt. General William G. Boykin FRC Action 801 G Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001 Tel: 1-877/372-2808 Dear Robert, I wanted to share some good news regarding the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an important piece of legislation that provides funding and sets policies for the U.S. Department of Defense. First, the effort to "Draft our Daughters" has been thwarted for another year! Language requiring women to register with the Selective Service (which would make them eligible for any future military drafts) has been removed from this year's NDAA. In addition, this year's NDAA includes a provision that prohibits taxpayer...

UFOs are supposed to be the stuff of conspiracy theories and fringe documentaries. And yet many high-ranking government officials believe some of the most explosive claims about UFOs to be true. How would this potential reality affect the conservative worldview? On December 13, 2023 Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took to the Senate floor to deliver remarks which can only be described as incredible. He was speaking about his amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Remarkably, the subject of this amendment was not Ukraine or China, nor Russia or Iran, but rather UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, or what used...

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred has signed a letter urging the removal of provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act that restrict funding for transgender surgeries and LGBT activities in the military. The Hill reported that in June, Congress passed the NDAA with provisions that would restrict access to funding for gender mutilating surgeries as well as certain LGBT activities such as drag shows for military members and their families. In a letter to the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services, 160 Democrats, including Allred, called for the removal of these provisions, citing, “If service members are concerned for their...

House of Representatives passed a measure on Friday automatically registering men aged 18 to 26 for selective service. It was part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets out the U.S. government’s military and national security priorities over the next fiscal year. This year's NDAA authorizes $895.2 billion in military spending, a $9 billion increase from fiscal 2024. While it hasn’t been invoked in over half a century, it’s mandatory for all male U.S. citizens to register for the selective service, also known as the military draft, when they turn 18. Failure to register is classified as...

The U.S. House of Representatives has recently passed an amendment as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025. The amendment H.R. 8070 will automatically register all draft-age male U.S. residents with the Selective Service System for a possible military draft, based on information from other Federal databases. This new system of automatic draft registration would replace the existing system, in place since 1980, in which young men have the freedom to decide whether or not to sign up for the draft. According to People’s World, the automatic draft registration proposal was initiated by the Selective...

The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act created the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting rule to ostensibly target money laundering. Beginning January 1, 2024, the Act mandates U.S. companies, regardless of size, to register their beneficial and controlling owners with the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). FinCEN claims the corporate ownership database will be used exclusively to identify anonymous shell companies involved in money laundering and terrorist activities. Once again, like the Patriot Act, it grants surveillance powers violating the Constitution. There is no provision for judicial oversight to protect individual rights as if that ever mattered. Reporting requirements apply...

The US Congress has passed legislation allowing the country to sell Virginia class submarines to Australia under the Aukus security pact. Sweeping legislation covering a wide range of military priorities including Aukus passed the US House of Representatives on Thursday Washington time, a day after it cleared the Senate. The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said Australians could “have a sense of confidence about this multi-decade arrangement actually coming to pass” because of the strong bipartisan votes in the US Congress. “We are on the precipice of historic reform that will transform our ability to effectively deter, innovate, and operate...

OK I went to his twitter page to see if he's explained his vote on FISA inclusion in the NDAA and not a peep. It's full of interviews etc. of him being against Free Speech on campuses What is he doing? He might not like certain speech but as a Member of Congress it's not up to him to decide. He's losing the plot with all this. John Cornyn is taking heat on the NDAA (rightly). I still haven't heard anything from Cruz. Perhaps someone from TX can find out what the situation is. He can't hide from this forever!

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, in a continuation of his efforts to protect Americans’ civil liberties and push for reform to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) forced a Senate vote to remove reauthorization of FISA from the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). A bipartisan group of 34 senators joined Dr. Paul in voting to remove the reauthorization of FISA from the annual NDAA. The final vote tally was 35-65, six votes short of ending domestic spying authority. Below are excerpts from Dr. Paul’s prepared remarks he delivered ahead of the vote:...

Congress has approved legislation that would prevent any president from withdrawing the United States from NATO without approval from the Senate or an Act of Congress. The measure, spearheaded by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), was included in the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which passed out of the House on Thursday and is expected to be signed by President Biden. The provision underscores Congress’s commitment to the NATO alliance that was a target of former President Trump’s ire during his term in office. The alliance has taken on revitalized importance under Biden, especially since Russia’s full-scale...

The House, in a decisive vote Thursday, passed the annual defense authorization bill, delivering a bipartisan rebuke to its most conservative members who had sought to infuse the legislation with a wishlist of provisions targeting Pentagon policies on abortion, diversity and LGBTQ+ rights. The $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was approved by a vote of 310-118, having passed the Senate by an overwhelming margin Wednesday night. It proceeds next to the White House, where President Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law.

In a last-minute rush to sanction spending before the end of the year, the Senate enacted a $886 billion defense spending proposal Wednesday, sponsored by President Joe Biden, that includes financing for Ukraine, yearly pay hikes for personnel, and most controversially, a reauthorization of the the National Defense Authorization Act.. The NDAA funds Pentagon objectives such as training and equipment. The Act was approved by a bipartisan majority of 87-13 in the Senate. For the last 61 years in a row, Congress has advanced the must-pass defense budget measure. “At a time of huge trouble for global security, doing the...

@BasedMikeLee The Senate just voted to waive the point of order against the NDAA. 35 of us opposed the motion to waive. We needed only 41 to prevent this outcome, and to remove FISA 702 from the NDAA. This is not good. The House should #StopTheNDAA.

@JohnCornyn One of the biggest responsibilities Congress has each year is to provide for the common defense, ensuring our military has the tools & resources it needs to keep Americans safe. Today, the Senate passed the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

They're suspending the rules and need 2/3rds to pass the FISA attachment to the NDAA. What are the odds? I bet they will vote this through almost unanimously! Sad. In any case, you could pressure your Rep. today or tomorrow...

@BasedMikeLee Tomorrow the Senate has the chance to remove FISA 702 from the NDAA. The Senate rules can make this happen if just 41 senators agree. FISA should be reviewed on its own merits—not the NDAA’s. If you agree, please share & tell your senators to remove FISA from the NDAA!

A compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) negotiators in the House and Senate agreed on does not include a number of controversial amendments criticized as attacks against the LGBTQ community. House Republicans, who passed the amendments in July, agreed to drop them from the annual Defense policy bill, according to an updated draft released Thursday. The House-passed NDAA had sought to block the Defense Department (DOD) from funding drag shows and gender-affirming health care for transgender service members and dependents. The legislation also sought to prohibit funding for the Department of Defense Education Activity — a federal...

Speaker Mike Johson (R-LA) backtracked and caved to the deep state and Democrats, moving to slip a deep state authorization into the defense bill. Reports say that congressional leaders, including Johnson, agreed to put an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill would extend Section 702 until April 19. This frustrated many conservatives, including those who were supposed to be instrumental in crafting the final texts for the NDAA. Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) released a video statement after she said that leadership asked conferees, which includes...

House and Senate conservatives on Wednesday sounded the alarm on a potential move by congressional leadership to extend a deep state surveillance law in a defense bill. “Reauthorization of FISA can’t be hooked to anything. The federal GOV has spied on Americans [who] decided to go to Church or you went to a school board meeting. This needs to end. Reauthorization needs to stand on its own, and have significant reform,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA) said during a press conference with the House Freedom Caucus and Senate conservatives. The conservatives held their press conference as congressional leaders...

Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) office has refused to confirm Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) claim that there will be no reauthorization, temporary or otherwise, of a deep state surveillance tool in the National Defense Authorization Act. Breitbart News, as well as Wired, reported that Speaker Johnson and Democrat leaders are considering slipping a reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a defense bill that has little to do with government surveillance.