Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, issued the following statement after President Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 that included so-called ‘hate crimes' legislation:

"Today, the president of the United States put his liberal social priorities ahead of an unambiguous affirmation of our men and women in uniform. Every day, our Armed Forces stand in defense of freedom and our cherished way of life. It is deeply offensive to their service and to millions of Americans to pile so-called ‘hate crimes' legislation onto a bill that authorizes critical resources for our troops. Hate crimes legislation is antithetical to the First Amendment, unnecessary and will have a chilling effect on religious freedom.

"The president has used his position as commander in chief to advance a radical social agenda, when he should have used it to advance legislation that would unequivocally support our troops. We should remember why our soldiers put on the uniform, and honor their service by giving them the resources they need to get the job done, without unrelated liberal priorities attached."