Foster Votes Against NDAA, Condemns Republican Attacks on Abortion Care

“While I’m proud that two of my nuclear security amendments were included in the final version of this legislation, I ultimately voted against its passage. I have always been clear that I will never vote to limit women’s reproductive rights and access to abortion care - and that includes women serving our nation in the military.” 

“It’s unfortunate that Republican leadership caved in to the far-right fringe of their party, allowing them to hijack the historically bipartisan NDAA process to advance their extreme agenda of controlling personal health care. I urge the Senate to remove these poison pills so we can complete our duty of passing an NDAA that protects our national security and supports the brave men and women defending our freedom.” 

Foster’s nuclear security amendments to the NDAA include:

• Transferring the National Technical Nuclear Forensics program from the Department of Homeland Security to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). This program allows the United States to trace the origin of nuclear material that we or our allies find, making it more difficult for countries to obscure their production or use of nuclear weapons. NNSA has the technical expertise to run this program as effectively as possible, helping the United States hold our enemies responsible and keep our country safe.
• Requiring an assessment of the ability of the United States to detect and monitor nuclear weapon tests conducted at very low yields. At a time of heightened concern over China and Russia’s lack of transparency regarding their nuclear weapons programs, this amendment will improve our ability to detect our enemies’ nuclear activities and keep them in check. This monitoring is critical for the United States to continue leading the world in nuclear non-proliferation.