Republican U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt on Friday released a statement blasting Congressman Mo Brooks, AL-05, for voting Thursday evening against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022. The NDAA passed the House on a bipartisan 316-113 basis.
“This is the latest example of why Washington is broken and why we don’t need ineffective, all-talk, do-nothing career politicians like my opponent in the U.S Senate,” said Britt.
“The NDAA is the one place where Congress annually has the opportunity to show support for our tremendous military service members and extended defense community,” she continued. “Instead, my opponent is playing political games, grandstanding about partisan provisions that he knows will be cleaned up in the Senate and then in the conference process.”
In a Thursday press release, Brooks acknowledged that his “no” vote was purely virtue signaling.
“The House Armed Services Committee’s Republican Ranking Member assures me the Socialists’ more onerous provisions in the NDAA will be stricken in conference between the House and Senate,” Brooks admitted.
It should also be noted the provision Brooks identified as the main reason he voted against the NDAA was already tacked onto the legislation when Brooks voted for the NDAA in committee earlier this month.
“The bottom line is he just voted against a pay raise for our brave servicemen and women and improved benefits for their families; he just voted against prohibiting punishment for service members’ political views posted on social media; he just voted against prohibiting a dishonorable discharge for refusing a mandated vaccination; he just voted against increasing topline defense spending by nearly $25 billion, reversing Joe Biden’s reckless proposed effective cuts; he just voted against holding Joe Biden accountable for his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan; he just voted against declaring illegal immigration at the southern border to be a national security crisis and directing additional National Guard resources to secure the border; he just voted against better preparing our military to prevail against China; and he just voted against authorizing targeted funds to rescue Americans still abandoned in Afghanistan and to conduct counter-terrorism operations in the country,” Britt outlined.
“The NDAA is critical for Alabama, as the military and defense sector supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and generates an economic impact upwards of $16 billion in our state every year,” she explained.
Britt pointed to the following core examples of the House-passed FY22 NDAA containing wins for Alabama:
- $361,122,000 for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). The missiles for THAAD are manufactured in Pike County.
- $540,000,000 for 2 EPFs built by Austal USA in Mobile.
- $1,120,028,000 for upgrades to the Stryker combat vehicle. Most of this work is completed at Aniston Army Depot.
- $1,337,347,000 for national security space launch. ULA in Decatur is one of 2 NSSL launch providers.
- $25,000,000 for military construction projects at Anniston Army Depot
- $66,000,000 for military construction projects at Fort Rucker
- $55,000,000 for military construction projects at Redstone Arsenal
“None of this is possible without the NDAA,” noted Britt.
However, Brooks, in defending his vote against the NDAA claimed, “My vote reflects the will of Alabama citizens.”
“It’s time for fresh blood in D.C. to put Alabama first. That means putting the hardworking people of our state over selfish political gamesmanship,” Britt concluded. “That’s what I’ll do as Alabama’s next U.S. Senator. It’s sad my opponent can’t say the same after 40 years of living off the government dime.”
Brooks was the only member of the House Armed Services Committee from either party to vote against the NDAA for FY22 on the House floor. Congressmen Mike Rogers, AL-03, and Jerry Carl, AL-01, Alabama’s other members of HASC, both voted for the NDAA on the floor. Rogers is the ranking member of HASC and played a large role in securing crucial wins for Alabama in the House version of the NDAA.
In contrast, Brooks on the campaign trail recently remarked, “If your goal is to get as much federal money as possible, then don’t vote for me. I am not your candidate.”
Brooks, in the same comments, then said he would not support projects that bring jobs to Alabama as a senator.
“It is up to the local communities to bring in Mazda and Toyota,” Brooks explained.
Alabama’s primary election will be held May 24, 2022.
