July 21, 2020

Today Representative Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District released a statement after voting to pass the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a veto-proof majority.

“Today I voted to give a well-deserved pay raise to our troops while strengthening the military’s response to the pandemic and eliminating the names of Confederate soldiers on military infrastructure,” said Congresswoman Titus (NV-1). “President Trump’s threat to veto this legislation over the Confederate name change shows that he would rather defend those who took up arms against our country than give U.S. troops a raise.”

“This legislation is a major victory for Nevadans. I am especially pleased that the NDAA includes language I wrote to prevent the Trump Administration from conducting an explosive nuclear weapons test. We simply cannot allow this Administration to restart a global arms race and directly threaten Nevadans’ health.”

“The Nevada delegation worked tirelessly with conservation groups to defeat a shameless Republican effort to decimate the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. I am proud we were able to protect the DNWR with its iconic wildlife, scenic beauty, and culture relics for future generations to enjoy and explore.”

Specifically, the House National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021:

• Bans Explosive Nuclear Weapons Testing: by prohibiting the Trump Administration from conducting a nuclear weapons test that produces any yield with language from PLANET Act introduced in the House by Congresswoman Titus.
• Protects the Desert National Wildlife Refuge: by ensuring the continued management of the DNWR by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through an amendment backed by the Nevada delegation.
• Reducing Threats of Weapons of Mass Destruction Around the World: by requiring the federal government to report on and prioritize its work to keep weapons of mass destruction out of terrorists’ reach and reducing the global supply of weapons of mass destruction through an amendment introduced by Congresswoman Titus.
• Gives Our Troops a Pay Raise & Protects Their Safety: by authorizing a 3 percent military pay raise, investing in housing improvements for military members and families and advancing justice in safety with improvements to sexual assault prevention and response.
• Strengthens America’s Health & Economic Security: with important fixes to expand paid parental leave for certain federal civilian employees inadvertently omitted originally, initiatives to combat the climate crisis, and proactively strengthening our nation’s defenses to future pandemics, including with a $1 billion Pandemic Preparedness and Resilience National Security Fund.
• Responds to the COVID-19 Pandemic: by supporting NATO’s multinational response to the pandemic and provides funds to the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program with an increased focus on cooperative biological engagement to detect and confront biological threats.
• Provides for Removing the Names of Confederates from Our Military Bases: by requiring DOD to identify, report on a process and change the names of all military bases and infrastructure named for individuals who took up arms against America by serving in the Confederacy, with the process to be completed in one year. Also prohibits the public display of the Confederate flag on Department of Defense installations.
• Creates a More Diverse Military: by establishing Chief Diversity Officers throughout the military, and creating initiatives for increasing representation of women and minorities in the military services.
• Advances our Values: by prohibiting use of DOD funds to provide support to the Saudi-led coalition for strikes in Yemen, and limiting the funding under the national emergency military construction authority to prevent its misuse on the President’s wasteful border wall.