Rep. Adams' Amendments included in NDAA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12)'s amendments are included in the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed the House yesterday and is headed to President Trump's desk.

Rep. Adams offered two amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act which were included in the House bill and are now in the final bill:

• An amendment requiring greater incorporation of the Chief Diversity Officer of the Department of Defense to create a strategic plan that spurs participation by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) in research, development, testing, and evaluation activities, led by Rep. Adams and Rep. Brown and,
  
• Report language on relief for student loan debt, directing the Administration to provide relief for private student loan borrowers. This language is based off amendments by Reps. Adams and Dean, as well as Sens. Warren and Brown, which would grant private student loan borrowers with the same type of relief and protections that Congress provided to borrowers of Federal Direct loans in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and cancel up to $10,000 in debt for private borrowers.

"HBCUs and MSIs are centers of innovation and excellence, and their work has always been in service of the greater good," saidCongresswoman Adams. "Our amendment language directs the Department of Defense's Chief Diversity Officer to meaningfully engage with these institutions and to provide them pathways to access the research and development funds needed to advance their groundbreaking research."

"Americans owe upwards of $125 billion in private student loan debt – in times like this, these Americans also deserve help from their government", said Congresswoman Adams. "That is why Representative Dean and I introduced these amendments to make clear that there should be no distinction between public and private student loan borrowers in accessing and receiving relief."

More information about the NDAA is available here.

Congresswoman Alma Adams represents North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Charlotte) and serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture. Additionally, she serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Education & Labor Committee, where she serves as Chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee. She is the co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus.

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