Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) issued the following statement after an overwhelming number of Republicans voted against the National Defense Authorization Act as a result of the Democrat majority’s inclusion of unconstitutional “hate crimes” legislation.

“The inclusion of ‘thought crimes’ legislation in what is otherwise a bipartisan bill for troop funding is an absolute disgrace,” said Congressman Price. “Today, an overwhelming number of House Republicans repudiated the Democrats’ inclusion of unconstitutional language which undermines the First Amendment and the principle of equal justice. Republicans have a long history of strong support for our troops, yet this ‘thought crimes’ legislation is simply unacceptable. The Democrat majority should be ashamed at the way it has used the needs of our men and women in uniform as a platform for a partisan agenda.”