Rep. García's Statement on the National Defense Authorization Act

Press Release

Representative Jesús "Chuy" García issued the following statement after voting against H.R. 6900, the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):

"The House of Representatives should not authorize an unprecedented $839.3 billion for military programs. This massive amount dwarfs all other domestic priorities, including assistance for working families as they face the effects of inflation and corporate price gouging of food and household supplies.

"Of course, I support the positive reforms in the bill, like a $15 minimum wage for military contractors and added health and housing benefits for servicemembers. And I am proud to say that three amendments I sponsored were voted into the bill: one to suspend International Monetary Fund surcharges while their effectiveness and burden on indebted countries are studied, another to suspend Ukraine's debt payments to international institutions, and a third to study the humanitarian effects that broad sanctions have on civilian populations.

"However, we cannot continue to vote for ever-expanding defense authorizations, while year after year, the everyday threats that our communities face--income inequality, access to health care, and gun violence, to name only a few--go unaddressed."

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