Cheney Issues Statement on After Voting for Defense Bill

In a press release, Congresswoman Liz Cheney issued a statement after voting for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 on Thursday.

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The bill passed the House 329 to 101, with 180 Democrats and 149 Republicans voting in favor, and 39 Democrats and 62 Republicans voting against.

Cheney said:

"For over 60 years, Congress has acted in a bipartisan manner to fulfill our most important duty: providing the resources for the security of our nation and our freedom," Cheney said. "Our nation faces a global threat environment, unlike anything we've seen since World War II. This NDAA provides funds to modernize the Minuteman III at F.E. Warren, delivers supplemental funding for assets used by the Wyoming National Guard, ensures that our men and women in uniform have the resources and capabilities necessary to defend against our adversaries, includes a pay raise for our service members, combats efforts to reduce our deterrence capabilities, and much more. I am proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in fulfilling our obligation to the defense of our nation, and look forward to the Senate passing this important legislation to support our military and ensure our national security."

According to the release, Cheney was responsible for several portions of the bill, including funding for ICBMs at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, and the Wyoming National Guard, and posthumously awarded a medal of honor to a soldier who fought in World War II.

The NDAA provides a $1,000 recruitment and retention bonuses to wildland firefighters, which was part of Tim's Act, which Cheney co-sponsored with three of her other colleagues last year, and which never came out of committee.

The total cost of the bill was $840.2 billion, $37 billion more than was requested by President Joe Biden, and higher than last year's bill of $777 billion.

On Monday, the Senate Armed Service Committee filed their version of the NDAA which totals $857.46 billion, with some of the increase due to a request for more munitions after the U.S. has sent military supplies to Ukraine.

The NDAA filed in the Senate still has a long way to go before it will be signed into law, which may not happen until September, according to Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed.