Rep. Ami Bera Votes to Boost Pay for Service Members and Strengthen U.S. National Security

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Ami Bera (CA-07) voted for the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that authorizes annual programming and spending for the Department of Defense and other U.S. national security programs. The NDAA passed the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support and includes four amendments authored by Rep. Bera.

“The United States has the greatest fighting force in the history of the world due to the bravery and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. Today’s vote increases support for our nation’s service members by providing them with a much-deserved pay raise and expanded childcare and housing support,” said Representative Bera, who serves as Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in continuing Congress’ bipartisan tradition of ensuring our troops have the resources they need while funding a strong and smart national security strategy that keeps America safe.”

Bera continued: “I'm pleased that the NDAA includes my four bipartisan amendments that will bolster American leadership and security in the Indo-Pacific, which remains the most consequential region of U.S. foreign policy and economic prosperity. My amendments will increase U.S. diplomatic and development resources to the Indo-Pacific, counter growing economic coercion from the People's Republic of China, strengthen U.S. support for Taiwan, and establish a fellowship to broaden U.S. people-to-people ties with Taiwan and expertise in the Indo-Pacific.”

The bipartisan defense bill includes four Bera-led provisions:

• The Indo-Pacific Engagement Act: Bipartisan legislation directing the Assistant Secretaries for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and South and Central Asian Affairs at the State Department, along with the Assistant Administrator for the Asia Bureau at U.S. Agency for International Development, to provide an independent assessment of the resources they need to fulfill the Indo-Pacific Strategy.
• Countering China Economic Coercion Act: Bipartisan legislation that would establish the first-ever interagency task force to respond to the People's Republic of China's growing economic coercion against governments, businesses, organizations, and individuals.
• The Taiwan Peace and Stability Act: Bipartisan legislation that signals a path forward on U.S. policy toward Taiwan. Specifically, the legislation drives a whole of government review of options to enhance deterrence over a cross-Strait conflict, strengthens U.S. support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in the international community, and advances U.S.-Taiwan economic ties.

The Taiwan Fellowship Act: Bipartisan legislation that would give U.S. policymakers the opportunity to live and work in Taiwan, equipping them with better knowledge of the region's history, culture, and political dynamics, while expanding expertise in the Mandarin Chinese language.