Last night, the House of Representatives held off by a vote of 185 to 234 an attempt to strike provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that identify climate change as a direct threat to national security. Eco-right stalwarts Rep. Elise Stefanik and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen took to the House floor to defend the underlying language against the amendment.
Stefanik, who chairs the Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, said “we would be remiss in our efforts to protect our national security” by not taking into account the effect of climate change on the armed forces. Ros-Lehtinen noted the threat of sea-level rise on military installations. Both are members of the bipartisan House Climate Solutions Caucus.
Forty-six Republicans opposed the amendment. The NDAA is an annual bill that specifies the budget and policy priorities for the Department of Defense.