On Wednesday, 81 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives joined 200 Republicans in voting in favor of moving forward with an $883.7 billion annual defense package, despite repeated Pentagon audit failures and other alarming policies. I cast it.
The Military Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2025, announced by Congressional negotiators this Saturday, still requires Senate approval, with a vote scheduled for next week. Sen. Bernie Sanders, R-Vermont, said Wednesday he plans to vote no, speaking out against the military-industrial complex.
The move to pass the NDAA comes after Congress adjourned and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced last month that it had failed another audit, and after Wednesday’s vote, several members of Congress voted to pass the NDAA. He was emphasizing that.
“This is an important step toward reducing defense spending,” said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairs and co-founders of the Congressional Caucus on Defense Spending, in a joint statement. They were able to find the money they needed to line the pockets of defense contractors while ignoring the problems Americans faced on a daily basis here at home. ”
“Instead of fighting rising health care, gas, and food prices, this Congress has prioritized rewarding the wealthy and well-connected military-industrial complex with even more unaccountable funds,” they continued. “It is unfortunate that after seven consecutive failed audits, an amendment to hold the Department of Defense accountable for imposing a 0.5% penalty on the Department of Defense budget for each failed audit was removed from the final bill. The time has come to demand accountability from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.”
“While we are pleased that many of the poison pill provisions included in the House-passed bill were ultimately removed from the final bill, this bill does not include medically necessary medical care for transgender children of military personnel. “Forcing service members to choose between serving their country and ensuring their children receive the care they need,” they said. “The final bill also failed to expand coverage of infertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), to service members, regardless of whether the infertility is service-related.”
Some of the 124 House Democrats who voted against the NDAA cited these “culture war” policies as well as concerns that the Pentagon spends millions of dollars aimed at improving lives across the country. I mentioned it.
“Once again, Congress has passed a massive military powers bill that prioritizes endless military spending over the vital needs of American families,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). 900 billion for spending,” and the audit failed. “While we acknowledge the importance of the long-overdue 14.5% pay increase for the lowest-ranking noncommissioned officers, this bill remains flawed. It continues to take vital funding away from programs that help.”
Taking aim at Republican efforts to deny gender-affirming care through TRICARE, the lawmaker said, “I cannot support a bill that continues unnecessary military spending while attacking the rights and health care of transgender youth. , I voted against it.” ”
As Omar, a leading critic of the U.S.-backed Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, pointed out, “The NDAA requires that the Department of Defense collect data on casualties and deaths from the Gaza Ministry of Health and dependent sources. These statistics are an astonishing erasure of Palestinian suffering, ignoring the human cost of the ongoing violence. ”
Israel, which receives billions of dollars a year in military aid from the United States, is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice, which last month ruled that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Job Gallant An arrest warrant was issued. The NDAA includes more than $627 million in reserves for Israel.
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), who voted against the NDAA, said she would not be able to support President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency, which would be run by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. DOGE).
“How do we know that DOGE is not an honest effort to address wasted funds and unaccountable government? The NDAA was passed today,” Ramirez said. . “Republicans overwhelmingly supported the $883.7 billion authorization bill, even though the Pentagon just failed its seventh consecutive audit.”
“Billions to enrich defense companies and their investors, including members of Congress, while Americans starve, families are crushed in debt, and children in Gaza are killed by bombs we financed.” Dollars are being spent,” she added. “No one who voted for this bill can say with confidence that they care about government waste.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who also opposed the NDAA, wrote in a Tuesday opinion piece on MSNBC that while he strongly opposes cuts to the program, DOGE I look forward to working with you.” These include Social Security, Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. ”
“We need to make defense contracts more competitive and allow small and medium-sized businesses to compete on Department of Defense projects,” Khanna said. “The Department of Defense also needs increased oversight of procurement. For too long, defense contractors have gotten away with overcharging the Department of Defense and defrauding taxpayers.”
“Another area where we can work with DOGE is to reduce the billions of dollars spent maintaining excess military assets and facilities at home and abroad,” he suggested. “Finally, DOGE can also end its nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile program.”
The lawmaker, who is expected to run for president in 2028, said: “American taxpayers want and deserve the maximum return on their investment. Let’s work with DOGE to reduce defense spending and invest in domestic manufacturing instead. Good-paying jobs and a modern national security strategy.”
