Schneider Amendments to support Veteran Entrepreneurs and Fight Domestic Terror included in Final Passage of National Defense Authorization Act

WASHINGTON– Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, by a vote of 295-125. Two amendments authored by Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) to codify Boots to Business (LINK) and investigate domestic terror and extremism in the military (LINK) were included in the legislation.

"This year's defense authorization bill provides our nation's service members with the resources they need to succeed and upholds the values of our nation with investments in supporting veterans transitioning home and fighting domestic terror," said Schneider. "Now more than ever, Boots to Business is an invaluable training program for servicemembers transitioning into civilian life and a struggling economy. It's already trained more than 100,000 servicemembers on the essentials of entrepreneurship and business management. With my amendment to the NDAA, this Obama-era program would be codified into law."

Schneider continued, "Additionally, my amendment to investigate domestic terrorism in the military has been included to combat the spread of extremism among America's service members. I'm proud to lead this charge against the rise of violent far-right extremists and white supremacist organizations."

Domestic terrorism, in particular far-right extremism, is a growing threat to our nation, and our military is not exempt from this problem. The military has grappled with extremists, including White supremacist and neo-Nazi, infiltration of their ranks for some time.

We saw both active duty and former service members playing a prominent role in the disturbing violence at the White Supremacist Charlottesville rally. And despite statements from military leaders at the time condemning these actions, recent events highlight the need to address this issue urgently. Recent arrests due to ties to the Boogaloo Movement – an extremist organization seeking a second Civil War – included Staff Sergeant Steven Carrillo. Private First Class Shandon Simpson participated in neo-Nazi forums. And Private Ethan Melzer is charged with sharing classified information to a neo-Nazi group in order to plan an attack on his own unit.