For Immediate Release
Contact: bowman.press@mail.house.gov 

NEWS: Rep. Jamaal Bowman Passes Three NDAA Amendments, Builds Bipartisan Support for Congressional War Powers Amendment

WASHINGTON, D.C.  - Last week, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D (NY-16) offered four amendments to the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). 

The House voted on the Fiscal Year 2023 NDAA led by the Armed Services Committee. Congressman Bowman offered four amendments to the annual defense authorization bill, of which three have successfully passed in the House. Those amendments would: 

1. Grant the Secretary of Defense authority to increase the inflation bonus pay above 2.4 percent for servicemembers and DOD civilian employees making $45,000 or less in order to respond to the economic impact of inflation  
2. Require public disclosure of our overseas military footprint to more accurately outline the cost of war
3. Require a report on military recruitment efforts in public secondary schools 

Rep. Bowman’s fourth amendment to reaffirm Congress’s role in authorizing military action abroad, built upon the bipartisan support it received in last year’s NDAA, adding new members on both sides of the aisle for 155 votes in favor of a debate and vote on the U.S. military’s presence in Syria. This includes 14 new Congressmembers.  

“Congressional war powers must be restored,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D (NY-16). “Our U.S. military presence in Syria necessitates a long overdue vote in Congress. I introduced the aforementioned amendment on Syria for the first time in last year’s NDAA and was joined by Congressional leaders on war powers. The majority of our caucus agrees on this common-sense amendment, in addition to several colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Former Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford has been raising these issues for years and I’m grateful for his advocacy. Although the amendment was not included in the final bill I’m grateful for the momentum it is gaining. The three other  amendments I led passed the House that would combat the worst effects of inflation on our servicemembers and advance  transparency about how the Pentagon uses its funding, which exceeds our spending on domestic priorities like education, health, and housing combined. We also need  publicly available information that demonstrates our overseas military footprint. Brown University’s Cost of War Project has laid the groundwork for years to bring to fore the true cost of military action abroad that continues to be obscured. This amendment would help tell the truth. We further need more transparency about recruitment practices at our public schools, especially in underserved communities of color where opportunities may seem limited and unavailable. My priority is taking care of people, and making sure we are holding the Pentagon accountable when it comes to how we spend hundreds of billions of dollars every year. ” 

Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Robert S. Ford, served during the Obama Administration and currently serves as the Kissinger Senior Fellow at the Yale Jackson Institute for Global Affairs issued letter to Congress expressing support for Rep. Bowman’s amendment reaffirming Congress’s role in authorizing military action abroad. To read the letter, please click here. 

To read the amendments, please click below. 

Reaffirming Congress’s Role in Authorizing Military Action Abroad 

Granting authority for DOD Secretary to increase pay for lowest paid servicemembers and DOD civilian employees 

Reporting on Military Recruitment in Public Secondary Schools 

Public disclosures on overseas military footprint

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