ICYMI: Ernst Provisions Included in SASC-Passed Defense Bill
Iowa Senator advances work to strengthen national security, support servicemembers, and combat rising threats.
WASHINGTON – Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), advanced several provisions to strengthen U.S. national security, support our servicemembers, and combat rising threats.
These provisions were included in the SASC-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which advanced with bipartisan support.
She is also continuing her push to protect life in the face of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) rule to fund servicemember travel for abortions.
Ernst works to curb threat of deadly fentanyl:
Senator Ernst advanced her bipartisan solution with Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to address the fentanyl crisis by countering the national security threat of illicit drug trafficking from Mexico.
“’The fentanyl crisis is so big, it does require a whole-of-government response,’ Ernst said in an interview. ‘What we've seen in the past is that while the little pieces are being taken care of, there really is a lack of the interagency coordination, and that's hurt the overall effort. What we’re trying to do is provide federal law enforcement with actionable intelligence and information that can help them further their investigation.’”
“’I think the more that we can do to get after this problem with the transnational criminal organizations, the better,’ she added.”
Ernst continues her fight for life:
During the NDAA process, Ernst continued her charge to protect the unborn, but Democrats used an unprecedented move to fail her legislation that would repeal the DoD’s policy funding travel for abortions. Her fight is not over, and she will take it to the floor of the U.S. Senate on behalf of the unborn.
“’I’m not going to be deterred,’ Ernst said. ‘I know the fight’s not over when it comes to the abortion policy at DoD. We’re going to keep fighting. I’m going to keep fighting…The military is there to protect innocent lives, not to destroy them.’”
“She added, ‘We’re going to keep fighting. Joe [Manchin] can still reverse his position.’”
Ernst works to support junior servicemember pay in the face of military recruitment struggles:
An Ernst provision requires the Secretary of Defense to review the rates of monthly basic pay for enlisted personnel and restructure to support proportionate pay raises for junior enlistees.
As a former lieutenant colonel, Ernst served with many junior enlistees. As military recruitment struggles, she worked to include this provision because supporting our servicemembers is critical to strengthening our nation’s fighting force.
Military Times: Senators back 5.2% pay raise for troops, but not other salary boosts
“The Senate committee’s plan calls for a full review of military pay rates, with an eye towards changes in coming years. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who authored the proposal, said the goal is to find a path forward on the cost and impact of increasing junior pay, and the most efficient ways to do that.”
“’Looking at the pay table now, it’s just criminal,’ she said, referencing the low salaries of junior enlisted troops. ‘We could not get outright buy-in on increases now, but we need to bring everybody together on this.’”
“Ernst said she is confident if military officials present a report on potential pay table increases, ‘It’s just a matter of time before we increase it.’”
Ernst prevents funding to Wuhan Institute, launches investigation into Ecohealth:
China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology and EcoHealth Alliance, the group that funneled nearly $2 million of U.S. taxpayer money into the lab for dangerous coronavirus experiments that may have caused the COVID-19 pandemic, is one step closer to being permanently banned from receiving DoD dollars as a result of Ernst successfully attaching her amendments to the NDAA.
“The group that was conducting risky experiments on bat coronaviruses in Wuhan, China, that are widely believed to have caused the global COVID-19 pandemic may soon lose its largest source of federal funding.”
“Three amendments that Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) successfully added to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday would bar the Department of Defense from funding EcoHealth Alliance, which conducted research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in the lead-up to the outbreak of COVID-19.”
“’To prevent a repeat of what happened in Wuhan somewhere else in the world, we are pulling the plug on Pentagon funding for EcoHealth, which has proven it can’t be trusted—with taxpayer dollars or dangerous diseases,’ Ernst said in a statement Friday. ‘The tax dollars of hardworking Americans must never again be misspent underwriting risky research or subsidizing communist China’s state-run institutions. Our defense dollars should make the world a safer, not more dangerous, place.’"
She is continuing her push for answers by launching an investigation.
"’We don’t want to see anything like this again,’ Ernst said. ‘In order to prevent it, we need to know what happened.’"
Ernst works to protect peace in the Middle East:
Ernst, co-chair of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, included a provision to build on the Abraham Accords by requiring the Department of Defense to develop a strategy with partners and allies in the Middle East to counter maritime threats posed by Iran, violent extremist organizations, and criminal networks.
“The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act draft approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee last week includes a series of priority provisions for pro-Israel advocates.”
“The bill includes the MARITIME Act, legislation advanced by the Abraham Accords Caucus that seeks to establish a cooperative maritime defense architecture among Abraham Accords member states with an eye toward countering Iran.”
“’Cooperation between the United States, Israel, and our partners and allies in the region is critical to our shared security and prosperity,’ added Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), another lead sponsor of the legislation. ‘We’re stronger when we work together. I’m grateful to support this bipartisan effort to collectively defend against growing Iranian threats. As a co-chair of the Abraham Accords Caucus, I will continue working to connect our key partners through the common goal of securing the region.’”
After the House Armed Services Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee’s versions of the NDAA are reconciled in a conference, the final version will be voted on by the full House and Senate.
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