Washington, D.C. – Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) offered sixteen amendments to the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was marked up yesterday in the House Armed Services Committee. Twelve of those amendments were adopted, with two of them passing the Committee by voice vote and ten of them being adopted en bloc.
After the bill was marked up, the full Committee voted 57-2 to advance it to the House floor.
Of Rep. Cheney’s sixteen proposed amendments, one would establish a bipartisan commission to offer a transparent look at what happened throughout the War in Afghanistan and examine the lessons that can be learned. The full language of that amendment, which was adopted by voice vote, can be read here and video of Rep. Cheney’s introduction of it as well as a transcript of her remarks is available below:
REP. LIZ CHENEY: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as many of my colleagues have noted this evening, the work of this committee is most effective and best when we work in a bipartisan fashion, and this committee deals with issues that are more consequential and graver and potentially perilous than any other committee in the Congress. The extent to which we first went into Afghanistan 20 years ago, after we were attacked on 9/11, and for 20 years, the men and women in uniform who served there kept us safe — prevented future further mass-casualty attacks from the territory of Afghanistan. However, over the course of those 20 years, certainly, we have seen scenes of real devastation. We’ve seen mistakes, we’ve seen things that worked and worked well. We’ve also seen things that failed. And as a nation, having the ability to deal in a serious way with serious issues in a bipartisan way with these serious issues is crucial for us going forward. My amendment proposes the establishment of a bipartisan commission, modeled after the National Defense Strategy Commission that was in the 2017 NDAA. Again, totally bipartisan. Begins in 1996, when the Taliban first took control in Afghanistan, and runs all the way up through the withdrawal of forces over the course of the last few weeks. It requires an analysis — both of the tactical and strategic conduct of the war, and of the lessons learned, and the lessons learned across the whole array of challenges we face. So, I would urge my colleagues to support the establishment of this commission to ensure that we’re able as a nation to go forward. Again, not in a partisan manner — we have very different and strongly held views about the war, about what went right and what went wrong, but the nation deserves a transparent look at what happened and the lessons that we need to learn going forward. With that, I yield back.
Amendments Introduced By Rep. Cheney Adopted By Voice Vote:
- #1268, Cheney: Commission on Afghanistan.
- This amendment establishes a bipartisan commission to offer a transparent look at what happened throughout the War in Afghanistan and examine the lessons that can be learned.
- #931, Cheney: Prohibition On Reduction of The Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles of The United States.
- This amendment prohibits the Department of Defense from reducing the quantity of deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles of the United States to a number less than 400
- #1393, Cheney: Expressing support for the designation of November 21, 2021, as the “National Warrior Call Day” and recognizing the importance of connecting our warriors with support structures necessary to transitioning from the battlefield.
- #1371, Cheney: Report on the Progress and Development of ICBM Silos in Eastern XinJiang, Gansu, and Jinlantai Provinces.
- #1289, Cheney: Defense Security Cooperation Agency briefing on lessons learned from the failure of the ANSF and partner forces with less capable security forces.
- #1286, Cheney: NGSW Acquisition Strategy to Field Best Performing Magazines.
- #1265, Cheney: Quarterly Report on the Threat Potential of Al-Qaeda and Related Terrorist Groups under a Taliban Regime in Afghanistan.
- This amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report quarterly on the threat potential of Al-Qaeda and related terrorist groups under a Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
- #1262, Cheney: Report on Security of Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal.
- #1012, Cheney: Sense of Congress Regarding the Next Generation Interceptor program.
- #938, Cheney: Directs the Secretary of the Air Force shall develop a cost estimate with respect to re-alerting long-range bombers in the absence of a ground-based leg of the nuclear triad.
- #937, Cheney: Procurement Authority for Certain Parts of the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent Cryptographic Device.
- #934, Cheney: Certification of Readiness of Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles.
- #1369, Cheney: China’s use of rules of origin intended to benefit countries eligible for African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
- #1348, Cheney: Prohibition on funding for security or defense related aid and assistance programs in Afghanistan under the Taliban Regime.
- #1266, Cheney: Prohibition on funding for Afghanistan.
- #1506, Cheney: B83 Funding Shift.
Original source can be found here.
