Rep. Matt Gaetz on Thursday argued that he opposed the Pentagon’s new defense spending because it makes America “more like” China, even as the measure seeks to thwart China’s military adventurism.
The Fort Walton Beach Republican said in a House floor speech that he rejected the new version of the National Defense Authorization Act because lawmakers included provisions that continue the government’s practice of spying on Americans.
“Only in Washington must we bring a bill to the floor so that we are able to militarily confront China, while at the same time embracing the policies that make the United States more like China,” Gaetz argued.
Gaetz noted that the bill included provisions to permit such spying, even though the FBI was busted for conducting 278,000 illegal searches of Americans in recent years.
Gaetz was referring to a court ruling in May that found the FBI conducted warrantless searches on Americans under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which permits the feds to peruse communications of foreigners overseas without a warrant. The law is not intended to allow the FBI to pursue Americans caught up in such circumstances.
Gaetz noted that the law was being violated “so the people at the FBI could do queries on their neighbors, their co-workers, their ex-lovers. That does not belong in the National Defense Authorization Act.”
The Florida Republican also recounted items that GOP House negotiators allowed to fall by the wayside during negotiations with the Senate.
Some of those included scrapping the post of “chief diversity officer” at the Pentagon, a ban on flying any flag except the American flag at military installations, and a parents’ “Bill of Rights” for service members with children in Defense Department schools, so “strange materials” regarding LGBTQ or anti-white ideology could be banned.
Gaetz also pointed out that the final version did nothing to make amends to 8,600 troops who were booted out for refusing President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 mandate.
But beyond that, the NDAA should be rejected, Gaetz said, because of its “absolutely unnecessary and uncalled for” extension of spying authority for the federal government.
“Neither the House nor the Senate version of this bill dealt with extending spying authorities,” said Gaetz.
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