Neguse and Spanberger Amendment to Require Reporting on National Security Climate Change Threats Passes the House

Washington D.C.— An amendment introduced by Congressman Joe Neguse and Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger which would require the Department of Defense to conduct reporting on climate change threats to national security has passed the U.S. House of Representatives as a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Specifically, the amendment requests the Department of Defense submit to Congress a report outlining the threats both domestic and abroad of climate change to United States national security, including an overview of the ways in which climate change will exasperate or create new global conflicts that may threaten the security of the United States. The amendment was inspired my Congressman Neguse’s Climate Readiness Act of 2020 (H.R. 6119), which was introduced in March and highlighted in the Congressional Climate Action Plan that was released by the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis in June.

“The impacts of the climate crisis are far reaching, affecting our lands and forests, threatening our basic resources, from food to water to energy and threatening our global security, military structures and operations. As a result, it is absolutely critical that as a nation we are prepared to take on these threats wholesale. To do so must begin with understanding the impacts of the climate crisis on our national security so we can begin to implement solutions and effectuate change,” said Congressman Neguse. “Our amendment would ensure the Department of Defense is accurately equipped to take on the climate crisis, and that our communities are prepared and resilient. I am grateful for Congresswoman Spanberger’s leadership on this effort and proud to see the passage of our proposal out of the House.”

“The United States cannot afford to retreat in the fight against climate change. This amendment makes it clear that we must reassert ourselves as a leader in the global effort to prevent an ecological catastrophe,” said Congresswoman Spanberger. “I’m proud to see our amendment pass in the U.S. House, and I’d like to thank Congressman Neguse for his partnership. The climate crisis is a pressing national security threat, and our country needs to treat it as such. Only by recognizing the challenges ahead and working together can we protect our communities, strengthen our resilience, and build a strategy to provide cleaner air and water to our children and grandchildren.”