The National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2017 (“NDAA”) has passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Conferees from both chambers of Congress will meet to resolve which provisions should be included in the final version of the bill to send to the President’s desk. Now is the time for you to ask your Congressman to ensure the NDAA includes provisions securing the freedom to believe for religious contractors, preventing the federal government from creating an abortion slush fund, protecting women from being forced to register for the draft, and prohibiting people with gender dysphoria from serving in the military.

The House-passed version of the NDAA includes a provision, referred to as the Russell Amendment, which protects the freedom of religious organizations receiving federal contracts to hire employees who support the core mission of the organization, in accordance with federal employment protections like Title VII. Failing to maintain these protections for religious organizations forces them out of the contracting sphere and hurts those whom they serve, like refugees, veterans, and children. While this provision was not included in the Senate-passed NDAA, the House-passed language should be preserved in Conference.

The conferees should strike the language included in the Senate-passed NDAA that awards a single ... (more)