WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) voted to adopt an official position to oppose the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2027 in its current form. This week, House Republicans attempted to attach a sweeping voter suppression measure, the SAVE America Act, to the NDAA.
The Republican-led NDAA authorizes an unprecedented $1.15 trillion base budget in the wake of Trump and Congressional Republicans voting to kick 15 million Americans off their health care. In April, President Trump said “it’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare” because “we’re fighting wars.” Despite the Pentagon never having passed an audit, this NDAA authorizes wasteful weapons systems and multi-billion-dollar vanity projects including new “Trump-class” battleships and the Golden Dome.
As drafted, the NDAA also does nothing to prohibit Trump from continuing to carry out illegal wars, a danger made clear by U.S. military operations against Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, as well as civilian vessels in Western Hemisphere, where at least 210 individuals have been killed in extrajudicial strikes.
In addition, the NDAA does not stop Trump from using the Pentagon to enrich his own family. Instances of self-dealing include $50 billion in new or expanded contracts for donors to Trump’s White House ballroom, including Lockheed Martin, Booz Allen, and Palantir. Trump also purchased $1 million in stock of Dell Computers before the Pentagon announced a $9.7 billion deal with the company. And his son, Donald Trump Jr., advises and owns stock in at least two firms awarded lucrative military contracts while he helped screen candidates for top positions at the Pentagon.
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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is made up of nearly 100 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests. The CPC champions policies including comprehensive immigration reform, good-paying jobs, fair trade, universal health care, debt-free college, climate action, and a just foreign policy. The caucus is the leading voice calling for bold and sweeping solutions to the urgent crises facing this nation, including ending America’s broken for-profit health care system, raising American wages, eliminating political corruption, supporting the labor movement, and taking action to protect the planet for generations to come.
