Washington -- This morning, Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) submitted an amendment to the House Rules Committee for consideration on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (H.R. 4909). The amendment would strip a provision -- championed by Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA) and Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) -- included in the NDAA during committee markup that would effectively force the Department of Defense to provide New Balance athletic shoes for new military recruits. Heritage Action released the following statement from chief executive officer Michael A. Needham:
"Congressman Sanford deserves tremendous credit for standing up for the men and women of our military. Those selfless individuals should not be forced into a certain type of running shoe simply because one company has access to the halls of power. If New Balance and its congressional allies believe the company 'manufacture[s] the highest-quality shoes in the world,' then it should be willing to compete for the business of America's sons and daughters. Using the legislative process to limit choice and competition is outrageous."
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