WC Georgia News

WASHINGTON – This week, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) voted against two bills, the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act and the proposed spending bill for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) covering Financial Services and General Government funding. Both bills, in their present form, are ultimately harmful and counterproductive to America’s well-being and military readiness.

“Unfortunately, these bills have been hijacked by partisan messaging amendments which put politics over the safety and well-being of the people and our country. And while we just avoided a debt crisis, the majority wants to push us right back into one, by continuing its long running assault on the IRS which cuts the personnel we need to collect billions in owed taxes over the next decade,” said Congressman Bishop. “While the bills are far from final and will continue to be negotiated in the House and Senate, I could not support them in their present form. I will continue to work hard to find common ground with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to craft bills with broad support.”

Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Services and General Government Funding Bill

The FY24 Financial Services and General Government bill was voted on in the House Appropriations Committee where Congressman Bishop serves as a senior member. It was approved on a party-line vote, but it would underfund essential government functions, leaving hardworking Americans vulnerable to tax cheats, fraudsters, and scammers who illegally siphon away billions of dollars every year. The bill:

• Decreases taxpayer services and operations by over $1 billion, which diminishes customer service and delays tax refunds
• Underfunds the Treasury Department’s cybersecurity by $65 million and the financial crimes enforcement network by $24 million, both of which make the financial institutions, which protect and transact hardworking Americans’ money, vulnerable to domestic thieves and foreign adversaries
• Hurts small companies, which employ the majority of working Americans, by reducing funding for the Small Business Administration by $72 million
• Takes $9 million away from the Office of National Drug Control Policy undermining efforts to keep communities and people safe from illicit drugs and the fentanyl epidemic
• Eliminates all funding for Election Security Grants to assist states in conducting fair and secure elections
• Cuts nearly $150 million from the Securities and Exchange Commission which is responsible for protecting trillions of dollars in retirement investments and pensions for hardworking Americans

2023 National Defense Authorization Act

Meanwhile, the NDAA, which came out of the House Armed Services Committee earlier this year with bipartisan and near unanimous support, was drastically altered during debate on the House Floor by poison pill amendments that focused more on culture war issues than supporting America’s troops and military preparedness.

These amendments would create a toxic environment for women and minority servicemembers and their families and would compromise recruitment, retention, and readiness in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The NDAA now goes to the Senate for consideration.

“I am hopeful that the Senate will restore the bill to its original form and deliver a work product worthy of the service and sacrifice that our military men and women, and their families, make every day on behalf of our country,” said Congressman Bishop.

Original source can be found here.