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Press Releases
Rep. Norman Introduces Legislation Addressing the Bureaucratic Overreach of Unelected Officials
Washington, D.C.,
March 8, 2023
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Austin Livingston
(202-740-8937)
Tags:
Military
On Wednesday, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) introduced two (2) pieces of legislation addressing the bureaucratic overreach from unelected government officials at the Pentagon:
“Our government is constructed to be empowered by the people," said Rep. Norman on Wednesday. "Sadly, there are far too many unelected officials wielding immense power with little to no oversight. Both bills address the issue of government officials imposing overreaching rules and mandates that are unwarranted to begin with.”
Background information on each bill can be found below:
Bill #1: No Mask Mandate for the Military Act
The first bill, the No Mask Mandate for the Military Act, would prohibit the Secretary of Defense from imposing any federal mask mandate policies pertaining to COVID-19 on any military installations in the U.S.
On February 10, 2023 the Biden administration announced it would seek to end the COVID-19 national emergency on May 11, 2023, more than three years after the original emergency declaration in March 2020. Though the pandemic is considered over and no longer the threat it once was, unelected bureaucrats in Washington continue to impose unnecessary mask mandates based on CDC guidance on service members stationed at military bases around the country.
Co-sponsors of the bill include Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL).
This bill has the support of FreedomWorks.
Bill #2: No Federal Funds for Abortion Travel Expenses Act of 2023
The second bill, No Federal Funds for Abortion Travel Expenses Act of 2023, would restrict federal funding of abortion travel where not otherwise already prohibited by the Hyde Amendment.
Last year, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to handle the issue of abortion themselves and ending more than 49 years of federal precedent. After the Supreme Court's decision, President Joe Biden directed his administration to find ways to provide increased access to abortions.
Most recently, in February 2023 the Department of Defense issued new policies which would cover the cost of travel and transportation for Service members and dependents electing to undergo an abortion. The new policies are only the latest in a series of attempts by the administration to expand abortion care travel using taxpayer funds. No Federal Funds for Abortion Travel Expenses Act of 2023 would prohibit the use of taxpayer funds from being used for purposes of abortion travel government wide, especially where agencies do not have strong Hyde Amendment protections.
Rep. Norman’s No Federal Funds for Abortion Travel Expenses Act of 2023 is a reintroduction of H.R. 8776 introduced in the 117th Congress.
Cosponsors of the bill include Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Glenn Grotham (R-WI), Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK), Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS), Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL), Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL), Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR).
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