Dear Friend,

As your congressman, perhaps the most crucial and consequential piece of legislation I help construct and on which I vote is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Our nation’s freedom hinges on our ability to maintain a military that's laser-focused on defeating our enemies. 

As Americans, we're blessed to live in the greatest nation the world has ever known. That's in large part because of the men and women who wear our nation's uniform. An illustration of the critical nature of this bill is that Congress, even in times of immense political divide and turmoil, has passed an NDAA each of the past 63 consecutive years. 

I’m happy to report that the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) wrings out much of the cultural engineering we’ve seen introduced in the past two years and gets back to the core mission of a strong U.S. military. It counters the Chinese Communist Party’s aggression, boosts oversight of the Biden administration’s Department of Defense, supports members of our military and their families, and saves taxpayers billions of dollars while still investing in a secure defense industrial base and innovative technologies to support our national defense. I'm committed to making our nation stronger by passing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2024. 

I’m also excited that two of my amendments made the final cut. One of these brings the DOD to WNC to examine the need for military and training installations that so many of my constituents have called for.  

Following are some key highlights of the vote I cast for you on this year’s NDAA. 

Cost Savings and Reforms  
The FY24 NDAA saves taxpayers $40 billion or 5% of current defense spending levels. 

The NDAA cuts inefficient defense programs, obsolete weapons systems, and unnecessary Pentagon bureaucracy. Savings include:  

• Over $23 billion from the divestment of obsolete aircraft. 
• Over $1.1 billion from the decommissioning of outmoded ships. 
• Over $3.8 billion in cuts to weapons programs that have not met development milestones. 
• Over $1.7 billion in cuts to weapons programs experiencing excessive cost growth. 
• Over $425 million from the elimination of redundant and inefficient Pentagon bureaucracy. 

The FY24 NDAA also:  

• Pushes back on wokeness in the military 
• Includes provisions to counter Communist China’s aggression  
• Increases oversight and demands accountability from the Biden administration 
• Provides assistance to the 8,000 service members discharged for failing to take the COVID-19 vaccine and gives them a path back to service 
• Continues strong congressional support for our service members and their families, including a 5.2% pay raise for servicemembers 
• Strengthens strategic deterrence, missile defense, and hypersonic capabilities 
• Improves military and industrial-base readiness 
• Increases innovation and addresses additional defense priorities 

This bill also bans critical race theory, ends the overreach of the military’s chief diversity officer, prohibits funding for drag shows, and stops woke ideological flim-flam from being pushed onto our military. 

As a member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, I introduced an amendment that was included in the NDAA to help reduce waste and misuse of U.S.-provided equipment in Central America, an area where the Pentagon spends billions of taxpayer dollars annually. 

Another bipartisan amendment of mine was also included in the NDAA: to require the DOD to complete a survey of the 15 counties in Western North Carolina as potential locations for future defense assets and report to Congress on its findings. Our topography is much like that of many U.S. adversaries, including China. I believe our military should be able to train in similar environments.  

I also introduced amendments to establish a new, innovative workforce development program at DOD, to reform the way that the DOD and other federal agencies acquire vehicles, and to deepen investigations into fentanyl found at military facilities. While these were not ultimately included in the NDAA, please trust that I will continue to support our nation’s troops and defense capabilities every chance that I get. 

Some additional amendments that my colleagues introduced and passed will help strengthen America’s defense, include prohibiting funds authorized in this bill from being used to discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity in military service academy admissions; adding U.S. entities that collaborate with universities in China and Russia that maintain partnerships with their military or intelligence services to a list of U.S. universities that will be prohibited from receiving Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation funding; and requiring a report from the secretary of State, in consultation from the secretary of Defense, about America’s efforts to dissuade allies from purchasing Russian and Chinese weapons. 

With the passage of the FY24 NDAA, I’m confident that these steps will help refocus our military’s priorities back to strength and readiness, while helping keep our nation safe in the midst of growing global threats. 

The TVA deceived the people of Cherokee County

The American people are tired of being lied to by our federal government. Now, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a quasi-federal agency, has not been on the level with the citizens of Cherokee County.

The TVA has been deciding where to put a new power transmission line in Cherokee County. This will affect folks’ homes and farms, many of which have been in families for generations. While these citizens would still own their land, those affected will have large power transmission towers and lines running through their property.

Earlier this year, the TVA held a “virtual open house” instead of an in-person question-and-answer session with Cherokee County residents to discuss the project.

An internet hearing is no substitute for the real thing. There is no legitimate need for a virtual hearing in 2023, when COVID is not a factor. Plus, much of Cherokee County does not have the broadband capability to participate in such a hearing.

Folks in Cherokee County deserve to have their say, not just on a Zoom call, but in person with the TVA. They deserve to be able to ask questions and hear answers from the federal agency that will have such a potential adverse effect on their property.

I raised this concern in April and May with TVA executives and staff. I told them the people of Cherokee County felt slighted that they were being denied a public, in-person hearing on these new transmission lines running through our beautiful mountains. The TVA subsequently assured me that those citizens would have the opportunity for a public input session.

Regrettably, the TVA last week did not keep its word. Instead, it chose to make a presentation to the Cherokee County commissioners, but allowed no questions or input from the audience.

With this decision, the TVA has shown that, like so many other federal agencies, they are tone deaf to the concerns of citizens in WNC.

I continue to demand that the TVA hold a public, in-person session on this issue in Cherokee County so citizens can have finally have their voices heard.