NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027

On 2026-07-21, Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO-4) delivered a floor speech titled "NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027" in the House.

NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)] [House] [Pages H5001-H5007] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027 The Committee resumed its sitting. Amendment No. 18 Offered by Ms. Boebert The Acting CHAIR (Ms. King-Hinds). It is now in order to consider amendment No. 18 printed in part A of House Report 119-755. Ms. BOEBERT. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: At the end of subtitle B of title V, add the following new section: SEC. 5__. CODIFICATION OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 14183. Executive Order 14183 (90 Fed Reg. 8757; relating to Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness) shall have the force and effect of law. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1438, the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Colorado. Ms. BOEBERT. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of America's brave men and women in uniform to ensure America's warriors have the tools and environment they need to defend our Nation. Shortly after taking his second oath of office, President Trump acted to protect our servicemembers. He signed an executive order prioritizing military excellence and readiness to prevent radical transgenders from serving in the United States military. My amendment codifies this executive order, ensuring the integrity of America's great Armed Forces is not jeopardized. Gender dysphoria was considered a mental disorder by psychologists for decades until 2019. Even the leftist World Health Organization listed it as a mental illness in the international classification of diseases. According to the Williams Institute, 81 percent of transgender adults have seriously contemplated suicide. That is 15 times higher than the general population. Forty-two percent of transgender adults have attempted suicide, and 56 percent have harmed themselves. People with gender dysphoria are a danger to themselves and others. The United States military possesses the most powerful weapons known to man. We are the largest Air Force and Navy in the world, with nuclear weapons, artillery, and a host of other weapons with immense destructive capacity. {time} 1920 Every day we trust our brave men and women in uniform to protect us and to use these weapons that we possess responsibly for the defense of America. We the people have placed our faith and trust in our Armed Forces, and they have placed their faith in this Congress to make responsible policy. The United States of America cannot allow mentally ill individuals to possess and operate these weapons, and this Congress cannot allow transgenders to jeopardize the safety and readiness of our Armed Forces. My amendment protects America's servicemembers, ensures force readiness, and prevents dangerous individuals from accessing destructive weapons. No other severely mentally ill person would ever be allowed in the Armed Forces, and this Congress should not make any exception for gender dysphoria. The risk to the American people and our Armed Forces is simply too great. Secretary Hegseth has often highlighted the need to restore the warrior ethos in the Department of War. After the Armed Forces endured 4 years of waste, fraud, and abuse under the Biden administration, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have restored the United States military to greatness. Keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous, mentally ill individuals is a critical step in maintaining this warrior ethos. I am proud to support the President in ensuring the United States Armed Forces remains the finest military in the world. My amendment to codify the President's executive order ensures servicemembers are of sound mind, body, and discipline, and no future administration can rescind these protections for America's heroes. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. TAKANO. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5 minutes. Mr. TAKANO. Madam Chair, this amendment would codify President Trump's executive order banning transgender Americans from serving in the United States military. Since that order came down, the military branches have forced out Americans who have served their country bravely and honorably, leaving entire professional careers behind and gaps in the units and chains of command they once held together. This amendment would codify that exclusion into law. There are no grounds to exclude trans people from the military except for hatred, prejudice, and bigotry. There is no evidence that having transgender troops negatively impacts military readiness. Our military is strongest when every qualified servicemember is able to serve. Who are we as a country when strong, qualified, patriotic candidates who want to serve their country are turned away simply because of ignorant legislating? The American people want Congress to support our servicemembers, not waste time rooting out the ones they want to use as political pawns. I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BOEBERT. Madam Chair, since a member of this committee did not reserve the time, I reserve my right to close at this time. I would just say if gender dysphoria isn't a mental illness, then why do 42 percent of those who identify as transgender attempt suicide? We don't hand nuclear weapons and fighter jets to people in that kind of crisis. We shouldn't start now. We should be helping these people in real ways rather than handing them weapons of destruction. This is a very serious issue that we should address right now. No other severe mental disorder gets a waiver into the United States military. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, they are all disqualifying. Gender dysphoria is no different, except politicians changed the label. My amendment treats it exactly the same. Madam Chair, I urge adoption of my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. I now recognize the gentleman-- Ms. BOEBERT. No. I closed. The Acting Chair. The gentlewoman's time has expired. Ms. BOEBERT. That was not a member who claimed time from this committee. He was not able to claim the time in opposition. The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman's time has expired. Ms. BOEBERT. And he doesn't get any time to close. The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from California is now recognized. Ms. BOEBERT. He has no time remaining, Madam Chair. He is not a member of the committee, and he claimed time in opposition. You didn't, sir. The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman will suspend. The gentlewoman has used up all of her time. Ms. BOEBERT. My time, my right to close, and I closed. The ACTING CHAIR. The gentleman from California has 4 minutes remaining. [[Page H5002]] Ms. BOEBERT. There are no further arguments on this amendment. Mr. SMITH of Washington. Could you please tell her what the rules are? The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman has 4 minutes. Mr. TAKANO. Madam Chair, I yield 90 seconds to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs), my colleague. Ms. JACOBS. Madam Chair, it seems like my colleague on the other side of the aisle has just as little understanding of parliamentary procedure as she has understanding of military readiness. This amendment is a waste of time. The trans military already exists. This executive order is already in effect. So what does this amendment actually do? It makes discrimination permanent. RAND and the Pentagon have already studied this. They concluded that allowing trans Americans to serve openly doesn't hurt unit cohesion, operational effectiveness, or readiness. Commanders said it made their force stronger. Do you know what actually hurts readiness? Kicking out trans servicemembers despite their stellar performance and discharging people we have spent time, money, and resources training because of who they are, not how they performed. That costs money. That hurts readiness. Secretary Hegseth loves talking about the importance of meritocracy in the military, but kicking out qualified people because he doesn't like their identity is the exact opposite of meritocracy. If you are really cynical and think that trans people only serve to get their healthcare paid for, you would be wrong. The Pentagon spent 6,400 times more on trans servicemembers' career development than on their healthcare. One of the trans servicemembers I met told me that their most costly procedure was for their shoulder reconstruction after being injured in the line of duty. For the record, shoulder reconstruction has nothing to do with being trans. Here is the double standard at the heart of this amendment. Hormone therapy is standard, evidence-based care. They just made a whole new policy about it. The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired. Ms. JACOBS. The same medical treatment can't strengthen readiness for a cisgender man and hurt readiness when a trans servicemember needs it. The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is no longer recognized. Mr. TAKANO. Madam Chair, I yield 90 seconds to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Sorensen). Mr. SORENSEN. Madam Chair, I rise today in strong opposition to Representative Boebert's amendment. I am proud to live in an Army town, and I am the only LGBTQ person to serve on the House Committee on Armed Services. I find it outrageous that this Commander in Chief and his loyalists want to kick true Americans out of the military for a reason that does not pertain to a person's capability as an effective soldier, sailor, airman, or marine--all because they think there is something inferior or less than if you are trans. We know what happens in our country when we lose the most qualified

Referenced legislation: HRES1438, HR8800