Last Thursday, the House passed the FY 2016 NDAA 370 to 58. Only 49 Democrats and 9 Republicans voted against it.
When I wrote about that vote, I highlighted some of the flaws in the newly revised bill:
Earlier this week, Congress struck a deal to align the NDAA with the funding levels established by the new budget. The bill is still a massive $607 billion, and it maintains the language preventing transfer of detainees out of Gitmo.
The bill authorizes $715 million for Iraqi forces fighting the Islamic State, $406 million to train and equip Syrian opposition forces, and $300 million for lethal weapons for Ukraine. It also blocks the Pentagon from retiring the A-10 Warthog aircraft (against the wishes of the Air Force) and authorizes $11 billion for the F-35 Fighter ("the most expensive weapons system in the history of the planet," which--outside of trade press--is almost always called a boondoggle).
The Senate took up the bill today, and passed it by an even larger margin of 91 to 3.
The only 3 NO votes were Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Of the three, only Bernie Sanders has released a statement so far about the vote:
“If we are serious about ending waste, fraud, abuse and excessive spending, we have got to focus on all agencies – including the Department of Defense. This bloated Pentagon budget continues to pour money into outdated weapons systems that don’t function properly. The Department of Defense is the only federal agency that cannot pass a clean audit. Many of its major acquisition programs suffer from chronic cost overruns. Virtually every defense contractor has been found guilty or has reached a settlement with the government because of fraudulent and illegal activities. This has got to change.”
If the Pentagon can’t even pass an audit, it certainly doesn’t deserve an increase in funding.
I was disappointed—albeit not surprised—to see senators like Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown, who are usually consistent progressive votes.