Bilirakis Votes Against Bipartisan Defense Bill to Preserve gun Rights

The US House of Representatives has just passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), or the annual defense funding bill.  However, the bill was not popular with everyone.  Surprisingly Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) voted against the measure, citing it eroded gun rights.

Rep. Bilirakis has received recognition for being a solid representative for conservatives in Florida, but the representative voted no against the bill because he claims it will, "fuel inflation" and "erode Second Amendment rights."

"While there were provisions within the NDAA that I have personally championed, such as the long-overdue repeal of the Biden Administration’s unconscionable military vaccine mandate, increased pay and housing allowances for active duty military, and a condemnation of unauthorized territorial overflights of a NATO ally’s airspace, such as Turkey’s overflights of Greek airspace, other provisions in the bill prompted my no vote," stated Bilirakis in a press release.

Bilirakis listed his points of contention which he called, "poison pills," such as, "Increased funding for Ukraine without strong measures to ensure transparency or accountability, further erosion of Americans’ 2^nd Amendment rights, and overall increased spending levels without appropriate offsets."

"Americans are suffering from devastating inflation and Congress cannot keep writing checks that fuel this problem.  In many instances, the NDAA simply didn’t go far enough.  For example, to fully rectify the harm that originated from the military COVID vaccine mandate, we must correct the military records and allow re-enlistment of the 3,300 Marines, 1,800 soldiers, 1,800 sailors, and 900 airmen who were terminated simply for exercising their right to make individual healthcare decisions.  Additionally, despite concerns about military readiness and staffing levels, this year’s NDAA did not address this important issue," added Rep. Bilirakis