Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)
Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) released the following statement after the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 312-112. This legislation is a bipartisan agreement between the House and Senate to enhance our national security by building a ready, capable, lethal fighting force to deter our adversaries and protect the United States.
Importantly, this NDAA includes multiple provisions authored by Congressman Huizenga that address China and Strategic Ports (H.R. 1701), NATO defense spending, and a historic overhauling and streamlining of the public diplomacy arm of the State Department (H.R. 5251). The legislation now heads to the Senate.
“Overall, this bipartisan agreement strengthens our national security, provides our troops with a well-deserved pay raise, and enhances our military readiness,” said Congressman Huizenga. “My bipartisan Strategic Ports Reporting Act allows the United States to not only evaluate the strategic investments by China, but more importantly counter China’s expansionist policies in the Western Hemisphere. This NATO provision strongly reinforces the American position that our European Allies meet their new spending commitments of 3.5% on defense and 1.5% on military infrastructure. Lastly, my bipartisan provisions to overhaul public diplomacy and strategic communication at the State Department will make the United States more effective at countering adversaries and promoting American Leadership.”
“This restructuring has been needed for years, and I am proud to have delivered these crucial reforms to enhance American Diplomacy and improve our ability to address threats to our national security,” continued Congressman Huizenga. “By streamlining the public diplomacy structure at the State Department, it will align personnel, budgets, and regional teams across the globe under a single chain of command. This will help ensure messages are integrated, disciplined, and strategically directed. Importantly, this overhaul also requires annual reports to Congress that include clear metrics, benchmarks, and adversary-response assessments which will enhance the ability of Congress to conduct oversight over the State Department and more effectively weigh in on matters of national security. Additionally, these reforms require and enforce results-based mana
gement across educational and cultural exchanges, aligning them with strategic priorities and foreign policy outcomes making the State Department as a whole more efficient and more effective.”