Defense and Veterans
The constitutional responsibility to “provide for the common defense” is a top priority of mine. This duty is more important now than ever as we face a range of serious threats around the globe. In order to safeguard our nation and our way of life, we must continuously strengthen our military and provide the very best for our troops. It is equally important that we continue providing for our nation's veterans when they return home from military service. During my time in Congress, I will focus on ensuring that those who have defended our nation have access to high-quality health care, education, and family support.
More on Defense and Veterans
Washington, D.C.- After voting to support H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill, Congresswoman Bice issued the following statement:
Washington, D.C.- Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on their first appropriations bill, H.R. 3944, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. This legislation includes $452.64 billion for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and $18 billion for military construction and family housing, an increase over FY25 funding levels.
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Bice voted in favor of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which fully supports our military. This year’s NDAA will help increase our military recruitment, retention, and readiness by improving servicemember's quality of life and strengthening the lethality of our armed forces.
Oklahoma City, OK. – Last week, Congresswoman Bice and Congresswoman Houlahan introduced the Protecting Military Parental Leave Evaluations Act to establish clear policies across all branches of the military to exempt servicemembers from performance evaluations during periods of parental leave. It also adds more flexibility by allowing servicemembers two years to use leave without a waiver.
The servicemembers who put their lives on the line every day for their country deserve to have their nation put them first. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is one of the most important pieces of legislation that Congress works on every year. This bill not only funds our brave men and women's salaries but also helps prepare our military to meet the challenges faced from adversaries across the globe. |
Washington, D.C.- Congresswoman Bice issued the following statement after voting to support supplemental security funding:
This past weekend, Iran launched its first ever direct strike on Israel. Iran and its proxies, who are the primary backers of Hamas, launched an unprecedented aerial strike, utilizing one-way attack drones, surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, and land attack cruise missiles at our ally, Israel. Thankfully, Israel has the ability to defend itself. With the help of the United States, Israel built a sophisticated defense system, the Iron Dome, which is designed to intercept and destroy rockets and artillery shells.
As we enter 2024, many of us throughout Oklahoma are setting goals for the New Year. This is a time to focus on what we would like to accomplish and things we would like to achieve. For the remainder of this Congress, I will be working to deliver results and increase quality of life for Oklahomans throughout the Fifth Congressional District. These efforts will focus on two major initiatives: safeguarding our nation and revitalizing our economy.
We live in an increasingly unsafe world. Since President Biden took office, we witnessed the disastrous withdrawal of Afghanistan, the largest ground invasion in Europe since WWII, and the largest conflict in the Middle East in decades. Since October 17th, we have had more than 50 attacks on U.S. Military Forces or bases throughout the Middle East. This has resulted in injuries to more than 40 U.S. servicemembers. Terrorists are emboldened, and our adversaries are watching how we respond.
Vladimir Putin’s catastrophic assault against the independent country of Ukraine is a truly heinous act that jeopardizes the stability of Europe and peace across the globe. It has been heartbreaking to witness the humanitarian disaster that Russia’s unwarranted invasion has caused on innocent civilians in a sovereign, prosperous nation.