On Friday, the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2023. Since its passage in the House of Representatives, Florida legislators such as Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have rationalized their differing opinions. Rep. Waltz supported the bill and Rep. Bilirakis did not. However, Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) has come out in support of it as well.
This bill most notably rescinded the COVID vaccine mandate for military members.
“Today, I voted in support of the FY23 NDAA, which provides our men and women in uniform with the tools, support, and financial resources necessary to protect our nation. A big win in this bill is that it rescinds the COVID-19 vaccine mandate imposed on our service members. I have opposed and fought to repeal this mandate since day one and will continue to work to restore our men and women to the positions they should have never lost,” said Rep. Webster in a press release.
However, Bilirakis believes that the bill doesn’t go “far enough,” and saying that the American people shouldn’t have to keep writing checks that could add more fuel to an inflationary fire that has been burning for months now.
"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," stated Rep. Bilirakis.
However, Webster said that the bill was “a step in the right direction to provide our military training and resources they need to continue being the world’s finest fighting force.”
This forces Republicans within the party to decide: is gaining ground in smaller increments worth it, especially if it has a lot of dollar signs on the price tag? That will be for Republicans in both chambers to decide in the future.
