Kamlager-Dove Votes to Defend Women and LGBTQI+ Service Members’ Freedoms, Reject Partisan NDAA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) voted against the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) following Republicans’ insertion of extreme amendments into the final bill. Such amendments would restrict access to reproductive services, jeopardize health care coverage for LGBTQI+ service members and families, and end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives.
 
"Once again, House Republicans turned a historically bipartisan bill into a vehicle to push their extreme anti-choice and anti-LGBTQI+ agenda," said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. "Democrats and Republicans worked together to craft legislation that would have honored our service members by granting them much-deserved pay raises, reaffirmed support for America's allies, and promoted human rights worldwide. Instead of working in good faith to pass this bill—which advanced out of committee with robust bipartisan support—Republicans chose to play political football with our service members' livelihoods and freedoms. I could not in good conscience vote for legislation that would restrict access to reproductive care, terminate critical DEI initiatives, and strip rights from LGBTQI+ service members and their families. America’s service members deserve better than being subject to Republicans’ culture war.
 
“I am also deeply disappointed that none of the five NDAA amendments I submitted were brought up for a vote on the floor, despite being commonsense and bipartisan initiatives to advance our diplomatic engagement in Africa and Latin America,” she concluded.  
  
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove submitted the following amendments to the NDAA:

• Amendment #767 to promote U.S. leadership in advancing racial justice across the Western Hemisphere:
  • Directs the State Department to convene Black legislators in the United States and partner nations across Latin America and the Caribbean to enhance multilateral cooperation on issues of importance to the African diaspora in the Western Hemisphere.
  • Cosponsored by Reps. Steven Horsford (NV-04) and Joaquin Castro (TX-20) 
• Amendment #821 on sports diplomacy in Africa:
  • Directs the State Department to submit a report to Congress on the role of sports diplomacy programs in advancing U.S. foreign policy goals in Africa and craft a strategy to bolster sports diplomacy efforts with African countries.
  • Cosponsored by Reps. Ted Lieu (CA-36), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), and Bill Huizenga (MI-04)
• Amendment #843 on African creative economies:
  • Directs the State Department to submit a report to Congress on how supporting African creative economies through arts diplomacy enhances people-to-people ties, promotes economic development, and advances U.S. foreign policy goals in Africa.
  • Cosponsored by Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51)
• Amendment #855 on promoting robust diplomatic staffing in Africa:
  • Directs the Secretary of State to submit a report to Congress identifying why diplomatic posts in Africa are chronically understaffed and incentives to resolve those barriers.
  • Cosponsored by Reps. Barbara Lee (CA-12), Colin Allred (TX-32), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), and Nikema Williams (GA-05)
• Amendment #808 on integrating women’s perspectives in conflict-resolution:
  • Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a process to create Women's Advisory Boards to advise the U.S. policy response in conflict-affected countries, with the goal of integrating and meaningfully including the perspectives of locally affected women in peace-building activities. This would be modeled off of the UN's Syrian Women Advisory Board which was created to ensure women had a direct and meaningful role in the peace process.
  • Cosponsored by Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22)

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