WATCH: Barrett Calls On Armed Services Committee To Include His Legislation In National Defense Authorization Act

Click here or the image above to watch Rep. Barrett's testimony.

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Tom Barrett (MI-07) urged the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) to include three pieces of legislation he is leading in the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Specifically, Barrett advocated for his aviation safety reform bills aimed at preventing tragedies like last January's deadly midair collision over the Potomac River, as well as his legislation to restore transferability of certain education benefits earned by former servicemembers forced out of the military for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The NDAA is the annual defense package Congress approves to set policy and authorizes funding levels for the U.S. military.

Below are highlights from Barrett's speech.

On Aviation Safety: "I was proud to help advance the ALERT Act just this week, which took important steps to ensure that the tragic crash over the Potomac last year never happens again. But we cannot stop with just that one bill. … While some aspects of my bills were included in the ALERT Act, I strongly urge the committee to incorporate them into the NDAA to set standards across the department."

On Restoring Benefits to Servicemembers: "During the COVID-19 mandate, many healthy, brave men and women who had made the commitment to continue serving our country were forced to choose between receiving the vaccine or being involuntarily discharged from the service. These weren't disciplinary separations; they were honorable servicemembers who were forced out before reaching the 10 years of service required to transfer their G.I. benefits to their children even if they had already initiated that process. That was wrong, we need to fix it, and we can do that."

Background:

Barrett has introduced four pieces of aviation safety legislation, one of which has already been signed into law, and two of which he asked the committee to include in this year's NDAA:

• The Military ADS-B Out Loophole Act would prevent military helicopter pilots from turning off the location tracking system, ADS-B Out, transmissions during non-sensitive portions of flight missions.
• The Safety in Shared Skies Act requires the ADS-B Out system in military aircraft to be tested and serviced every 90 days.

Barrett'sPatriots Over Politics Act would allow servicemembers who involuntarily or voluntarily left the military between August 24, 2021, and January 10, 2023, to transfer their G.I. benefits to their children if they completed at least six years of service, ensuring veterans who lost that benefit due to the COVID vaccine mandate receive what they signed up for.

Provisions similar to Barrett's bills were included in the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act, which passed the House yesterday and now advances to the Senate.

Click here to watch the full speech.